Ever After
by TrustCompany88
Summary: Being dead was never part of Sakura Haruno's agenda. But somehow it happened. Now she has to figure out how and why it happened. For Sakura, ever after no longer exists. ItachiXSakura
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own any of the songs used in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Seven Wiser- Life

Lostprophets- We Still Kill The Old Way

I hope you all enjoy this story. This is my first multi chapter story. I do not always have the time to write so some of the chapters will not be published as quickly as others. Also please do not steal my story. I work hard on this so I can entertain you. If there is a part from this chapter, or any other chapter, please consult me first.

~~~~~1, 2, 3, 4, This is how fast time goes by, I can't seem to find the meaning of my life~~~~~

Life. One of the many gifts that we have been given. And also one of the many things we take for granted. But we never realize it until it is too late. I know this because I have made the same mistake. I am only human after all. Or at least I was. I'm not really certain what I am now. I still appear to be human, but, in a way I am not. Maybe I thought that I lost some part of my humanity when I realized that no one could see me. Maybe it was when I learned that I could no longer smell or touch anything. Or maybe it was the day that I woke up dead.

My name isn't important anymore. You don't really need it when you are dead and there is no one to talk to. At least not in the beginning. You see, I guess I am what people would consider a ghost. Or a specter. Or whatever you want to call me. But for the sake of this tale I will tell you the name I was given when I was alive. My name in the living world was Sakura Haruno. I was 20 years old. Well I guess I still am. Dead people don't ever age. My hair, strangely enough, was pink. It still is. My eyes were green. They still are but, when I was alive they had this weird way of changing between emerald and jade. After a while I just got sick of trying to figure out what my actual eye color was so, I gave up.

Anyway, back to the things you should know about me. My life wasn't perfect. No one's life is. I tried to do good things in the world. I really did. But in the world I grew up in, there is no way to avoid committing a sin, especially in my line of work. When I was alive, I was what they called a medical ninja. I was trained to save lives and to take them as well. But the only lives we took were those who were considered the enemy. We were told that if we left the village we lived in without permission from our leaders we would be considered traitors to our village and thus hunted down and killed. But fierce loyalty to the village means nothing in the end. We all end up the same way one day. Our views, our goals, and our plans may change the world but, in the end we all die.

Hell, some of the people I have met when I was alive were trying to achieve immortality. I even met a man that was considered an immortal. But immortality does not exist. The man that was supposed to be immortal was eventually killed. A man that was trying to achieve immortality was killed. They were both killed by people that I called my friends when I was alive. The bitter truth of the world that I lived in was that no one can live forever. The closest thing to living forever is dying. That's the only way to keep the same age and appearance forever.

Here I am getting off track again. What I really am here to do is tell my story. But my story doesn't start at the beginning. My story starts at the end. But for the sake of understanding the message I am trying to send, I will start two days before I died…

~~~~~I'm gonna die before I fall, Don't try to save me~~~~~

Notes: The idea for this story was inspired by a book a read recently called Remember Me. It will have some similarities but mostly differences. It also will seem a bit depressing in some parts. But it has to be done in order to progress the story. I know this introduction is rather short, they will get longer.

~..End88~


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own any of the songs used in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Lacuna Coil- Our Truth

Framing Hanley- Hear Me Now

Evans Blue- Cold (But I'm Still Here)

Story Of The Year- Anthem Of Our Dying Day

Tristania- Beyond The Veil

This story will flip from first person point of view to third. This serves the purpose of keeping past and present separate. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Criticism is accepted but only constructive. Reviews are appreciated, they keep me motivated. Also please do not steal my story. I work hard on this so I can entertain you. If there is a part from this chapter, or any other chapter, that you would like to use, please consult me first.

~~~~~Clock is ticking while I'm stealing time, Can't you turn it back?~~~~~

Time. It can pass quite quickly, or, quite slowly in the realm of the dead, especially if you are roaming the land of the living. I have been trapped in the living realm walking as a ghost. Moving on is something that I am not allowed to do, at least not yet. I hope that I will be able to soon. I suppose I shall tell you where I was the night before I died. It might just explain the circumstances of my death.

Ah, and here we are, Konoha Medical Ward. This is where I worked and spent most of my time. This is also where I was the night before I died and most of the day I did die. I spent most of that night checking on my charges that were there for an extended stay due to exhaustion or minor broken bones. I worked the night shift so I was only supposed to be there from 11pm to 7am with an hour long break around 2am. But things took a turn for the worst right before my shift ended. At least three units returning from missions were ambushed by rouge ninja and had to have emergency surgery due to the injuries they sustained. I ended up staying at the hospital until about 3pm to help with the ambushed teams.

After that luck still wasn't on my side. I was called in by the Hokage (our village leader) to give a report on the status of the ambushed squads. After seven hours of surgery, I had reported that all three teams were going to make a full recovery. I remember that I was so happy that they would all live that even after the fourteen hours I had spent at work I was high on the sense of accomplishment of saving them all that there was no way that I could go to sleep.

In an effort to change my luck and relax after the long day I felt I had to share the good news with my friends. So that was what I set out to do when I was dismissed after my report. I left the Hokage Tower and headed over to Yamanaka Flowers to see my friend Ino at work. It was later in the evening but I knew Ino would be there, her family owned the business after all. I guess I should give you a run down on Ino and our past together.

Ino Yamanaka is one of the loudest and most opinionated people I know. She is also one of the most beautiful. Ino is not quite the brains of the operation if you know what I mean. But still she is rather smart when her temper doesn't get the best of her. Ino is also one of the biggest flirts I know. With her long blonde hair that she wears in a high ponytail with her bangs covering her right eye. Speaking of her eyes, they are an amazing sky blue color. Ino is also taller than me; she stood at five feet six inches when she stopped growing. She also had the perfect figure. It kind of made me a little bit jealous.

Now for a little history from when we grew up together. When I was little I was picked on a lot because I had a larger forehead than all the other kids. One day when I was being picked on Ino came to defend me. I used to use my bangs to hide my forehead, but Ino told me that one day I would grow into it and that I shouldn't hide it anymore. She gave me her red ribbon to put in my hair to keep my bangs out of my face and not long after that we became best friends. Then the day came when I got my first crush. Ino was happy for me and she encouraged me to go for it. I was way too shy to ask him out at first. I had had a crush on him for while and then one day I found out that Ino like him too. I confronted her and we had a huge blow out ending in us becoming rivals. We remained as such until we were 17. When he became a missing nin, Ino started to get over him. I held onto the hope that he would come back. We each realized that we had no reason to fight about a boy that only one of us had romantic feelings for, so we reconciled our friendship and became best friends again. So we spent a lot of time together hanging out when we can.

Oh and the boy we both had a crush on did come back eventually. Actually, he came back about a month before I died and I found out that I no longer cared for him in the way I had made myself believe during his absence. I guess we were never meant to be but I can live with that now. After I realized how I felt about him we grew to be good friends. I know he will find someone who is still alive, and has a long life ahead of them, to love. Even dead I want all of my friends to be happy. And I am so off track again. Let's have a quick recount of my day with Ino shall we?

~~~~~Our promising lives are full of empty promises~~~~~

_What a day! First it's emergency surgery for __**three**__ ambushed Jounin teams and then a report to Lady Tsunade about the outcome of the surgery. I am happy that we managed saved them all though. I really do hope that Lady Tsunade can find out who ambushed those teams_,Sakura Haruno thought as she made her way through the streets of Konoha as she headed towards Yamanaka Flowers to visit her best friend, _I can't wait to tell Ino what happened after all I was supposed to go by her around two and I am so late… I hope she's not mad._

As Sakura finished her thought she had arrived at the entrance to the shop. She walked through the door and listened to the slight chiming of the bell on the door. Glancing around and not finding anyone in sight, Sakura made her way the front counter where Ino was supposed to be. Noticing the absence of her friend she decided to ring the bell on the counter.

Hearing the metallic chiming sound from the bell a feminine voice called from the back room, "Hold on just a sec! I'll be right with you!"

Hearing the voice, Sakura knew right away that it was Ino. And knowing Ino she would take a little longer than 'just a sec', so Sakura decided to wonder around the shop and look at all the different flowers, after all Yamanaka Flowers had the widest variety of flowers in the entire Land Of Fire.

While looking at a rare purple shaded rose, Sakura heard Ino walking towards the front. "Sorry for the wait, how may I help you?" Ino asked Sakura without looking up to see whom she was speaking to.

"A nice 'I missed you Sakura! How was your day?' would have been the correct response," the pink haired woman addressed her friend in a slightly sarcastic manner.

"Oh, I'm sorry. And this is coming from the girl that is five hours late! Now I only get to talk to you for an hour before we meet up with Tenten and Hinata for drinks. And just so you know you are not getting out of this. I have a mission tomorrow afternoon so I want to at least three hours with catching up with everyone before I have to pack for my mission," Ino scolded.

"I'm sorry Ino, I had a very hectic shift at the Med Ward. I was stuck in surgery until three and then I had to report to Lady Tsunade about the outcome. That took about four hours because she wanted a detailed report on the status of all three teams. It was Hell I tell you, but I am proud to say that they are all going to make a full recovery," Sakura stated happily but with a slight undertone of tiredness in her voice.

"Wow. That sounds like one hell of a day. I'm glad that you saved them all Forehead. You really have found your true calling in the ninja world. We should really get going though. Just wait for me outside, I have to close the shop. It'll only take me a couple of minutes and then I will be right out I swear!" The blonde woman said.

Sakura nodded her head and made her way outside where she leaned against the wall while she waited for Ino to finish up inside. After about five minutes, Ino finally emerged from the now dark shop and locked the door behind her then turned to her pink haired friend, "Okay! Let's head over to the bar. Hinata and Tenten should be there by now."

~~~~~Time will kill us after all, Can you feel its second hand wrapped around you neck? ~~~~~

The sight of the two female ninjas walking together was not an uncommon occurrence for the villagers in Konoha fore they were used to the scene. When the two girls were not working or on missions they spent as much time with each other as they could. To anyone that was watching them, they knew very well were the two were off to. The place, to be exact, was a bar known as Angel's Heart. It was where most or the ninjas went. No one really knew why they went to that bar; there were other bars in the area but that one seemed to be the most popular.

Upon their arrival, the two women entered the bar and were greeted by a tall woman with brown haired tied up in two buns on top of her head and a shorter violet haired woman. The blonde and pink haired women exchanged their pleasantries, ordered their drinks, and then joined them at the table they two occupied.

Sakura, who had ordered a glass of water because she had to work the next afternoon, turned towards the violet haired woman to start a conversation with since Ino was already engaged in a conversation with the brown haired woman.

"So, Hinata, how are things going with you and Naruto?" She questioned the violet haired woman. Not knowing that her question had caught the attention of Ino and their brown haired companion. This question also made Ino think of the relationship between the brown haired woman and Hinata's cousin.

"Naruto and I are doing just fine," Hinata answered timidly. Being in a relationship with Naruto had helped her overcome her nervous stuttering but not her shy personality.

"That's good to hear Hinata," Ino interjected before Sakura could say anything. Turning her attention to the final woman at the table, Ino began her inquisition, "So Tenten, how is the relationship with Neji going? Is the sex any good or is he just as cold in bed as he is to other people?"

"Ino!" Tenten yelped in exasperation, "Neji and I are doing just fine thank you! And you do NOT need to know anything about our sex life!"

"Fine, fine, I see how it is. Don't give me the details then," the blonde huffed.

After the brief run through of Tenten and Hinata's relationships they changed the subject because there was no way to pester Ino and Sakura on their dating life fore they were both unattached at the moment. They had decided to talk about what had been happening in each other's lives recently. Tenten talking about training with her team, Hinata going over the mission her team had just been on, Ino explaining her latest stalker, and Sakura telling them about the ambushed teams and how hectic the hospital had been.

~~~~~From up here the city lights burn, Like a thousand miles of fire~~~~~

When bar close finally came around, the four friends bid their farewells to one another and went their separate ways. Ino and Sakura walked with each other for a while since they both lived in the same direction. Ino's house was closer than Sakura's apartment, so they stopped there and chatted for a moment before they said their good nights and parted ways.

As she made her way home, Sakura decided it would be faster to take the rooftops. She was so tired and she wanted to get home quickly so she could curl up in bed and have a nice sleep before she went back to work in the afternoon. Having sound judgment on the idea, she did just that, and leaped onto the nearest roof. Her ninja lifestyle made it so that she moved soundlessly which caused her to effectively avoiding waking up the occupants of the homes as she leaped to and fro.

After a few minutes of roof hopping, Sakura could see her apartment complex. She was glad that she would soon be home. After all, she felt like she could pass out any second but, she knew that she had the will power to make it home. Not to mention that with as high off the ground as she was, if she did fall asleep here she would fall to her death.

But sometimes for Sakura, things never did go her way and luck never was on her side when she needed it the most. And as her luck would have it she fell. Being as exhausted as she was, she didn't have the will to stop herself from falling. The last thing she would see is the rapidly approaching ground before everything went black, not even knowing if she made impact or not.

~~~~~Not fear nor tears can reach me now, The light seems so clear as the night fades away~~~~~

Notes: This chapter did take me longer than I had intended. I had started it and then realized that it was rather boring. The first and third person point of views will not last forever. It will eventually catch up to the present. The next chapter will not take me as long as this one did. It should be out soon unless something comes up and I am unable to type or post it. And as promised the chapters will be longer still. I just figured this was the perfect place to end this one.

~..End88~


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own any of the songs used in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Trust Company- Dreaming In Black And White

Evanescence- Bleed (I Must Be Dreaming)

Taproot- Dream

Tristania- Beyond The Veil

This chapter will be a little more graphic towards the end and very depressing so consider yourselves warned. As always I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are appreciated, they keep me motivated. Criticism is accepted but only the constructive kind. Also please do not steal my story. I work hard on this so I can entertain you. If there is a part from this chapter, or any other chapter, that you would like to use, please consult me first.

~~~~~Under the city lights you lost yourself tonight, But wound up closer, When I found you, Under the city light we dream in black and white~~~~~

Dreaming. I haven't done that once since I died. It's all because of the simple fact that the dead don't sleep. When I fell I had no idea if I had died. I didn't even remember it happening when I first came to. And with everything that happened, it took me a few hours to figure it out. I think it was Ino's crying and screaming that gave it away, that, or the very startling reality of seeing myself dead. It came as quite shock when I first saw it... I mean me. I thought it was just a bad dream and then I would wake up and everything would be fine.

But I couldn't.

And I wouldn't… ever.

I mean I was so young. I was in my own village of all places; stuff like that is not supposed to happen there. And yet, it did. It just wasn't fair, still isn't.

With all that happened to me, I wish the dead did sleep. That way I would never have to face the reality of this; I could dream up a much better ending for myself... I guess that will have to wait though. I still have so much to do before I might be allowed to move on. And really that's all I want right now; to go on and leave all of these problems and everything that has to do with my death behind. I am still not able to. Not until the higher ups says I can. So I will finish this, after all it is one of my tasks to tell someone about this. At least that's what they told me to do. So, let's continue shall we?

~~~~~It's only in my mind, Not real life, No I must be dreaming~~~~~

Darkness still held the world within its clutches as the pink haired woman turned over in her bed. A pair of emerald eyes snapped open and glanced around the dark room. She had no idea how, but she had made it home. Maybe she had run into one of her teammates last night on her way home. She wasn't sure so she would have to ask when she saw them next.

Looking at the clock on her night stand she gasped. _I hope I didn't miss work or saying goodbye to Ino before she left for her mission, _she thought with the image of two furious blonde women passing through her brain. Taking one last look at the clock that read 5:53am, she leaped out the window that she had left open before she went to work last.

_Good job Sakura!_ She mentally yelled at herself as she landed on the ground outside, _I guess if I did miss work, Lady Tsunade is going to kill me anyway. So I might as well take my time so I can prolong my newly shortened life._

And that is exactly what she did. She walked slowly towards her blonde haired death sentence. _Well if Lady Tsunade doesn't kill me for missing work, Ino is sure to kill me for not saying bye to her before she left for her mission, _Sakura thought with a sigh. She then proceeded to curse her horrible luck for putting her in this situation.

She made sure that the walk took at least an hour before she finally saw the entrance to the Hokage Tower. Pausing one last time to regain her bearings, Sakura made her way through the door that someone had just left from. She walked slowly up the stairs until she was in front of the door to the Hokage's office. For some reason she couldn't understand, the door was open. It was never left open.

Taking one more deep breath, she decided to enter the office to make sure everything was alright. She gazed around quickly and noticed that nothing was out of place and everything was fine. She looked at Lady Tsunade and noticed that she was awake for once. And doing paperwork. Which was rare and she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. So she voiced her concerns.

"Lady Tsunade? Is everything okay?" Sakura questioned the amber eyed village leader.

She waited a couple of minutes but received no response so she tried again, "Lady Tsunade I understand if you are mad at me for missing work, but please don't ignore me. Get mad and yell at me, scold me if you want, say something please!" Sakura desperately pleaded.

The Hokage continued stamping paperwork, not bothering to even look in the direction of the pink haired woman. Sakura was stunned. Lady Tsunade had never ignored her before. No matter how mad she was. Getting the hint, Sakura halted her pleas and decided to leave the office. She would just come back later. Maybe then her teacher will have calmed down and would at least yell at her.

"I guess I will come back later then," Sakura stated forlornly and headed for the door.

She headed back down the stairs and out the door that a passing Chunin had just entered through. As she walked away from the Hokage Tower, Sakura thought of what she should do to pass the time until she came back to talk with Lady Tsunade. _Maybe I should go to the park or something. It would give me a chance to think in peace. Plus there shouldn't be anyone there yet so it will be quiet._

Having made her choice, Sakura headed for the park near the apartment complex that she lived in. This time she didn't bother walk slowly. She was in quite a rush since she really needed to sit and think for a while.

When she was almost there she paused for a second to check the time that was displayed in the window of a clock store. 7:12am glared at her in neon green. She had only spent about 20 minutes at the Hokage Tower. Sakura decided to sit and think for an hour or so before she headed back to the Hokage Tower.

And so she continued on towards her destination. It was very odd that day everything so quiet. Usually people were out and about, starting their day early. But today it was like the world had decided to sleep in. Sakura didn't mind the mind numbing soundlessness, she needed it for once.

Well it was quiet, until a high pitched feminine scream shook the air. Thinking that someone might be in trouble, Sakura rushed towards it. She realized only after she had arrived that it was the same place she was going to. Looking for the source of the scream she soon found it. It wasn't hard to after all, a semi large crowd of people had gathered there after hearing the woman scream.

Sakura bolted over to the crowd and began to fire off questions in rapid succession, "What's going on? Is someone hurt? Who screamed?"

Not receiving any answers or acknowledgment, Sakura tried to look over the crowd and see what had happened since no one would move when she asked. All of a sudden one of the ninja in the crowd spoke up to inform everyone that the Hokage was on her way there.

Sakura was stunned. Not only was everyone ignoring her like she had the plague or some other incurable illness, but the Hokage was on her way there. Normally someone would immediately tell her what was going on and then she would give the orders on what to do. Tsunade hardly ever left her office. Whatever had happened must have been really bad if Lady Tsunade was on her way.

Not long had passed when the Hokage arrived, she wasn't alone Sakura noted. Her team and Ino were with her. Which was strange since Ino was supposed to be on a mission. Unless Sakura really didn't miss a day at all and Ino hadn't left yet. Yes, that must be it she concluded. But then why was everyone ignoring her?

Standing off to the side, Sakura waited for the crowd to part for the Hokage. Since no one was listening to her, she decided that she would wait for Lady Tsunade to pass and then she would follow behind her to the front. Sakura didn't have to wait long as the Hokage made her way over and the crowd parted like the Red Sea and allowed Tsunade to pass. Sakura quickly followed behind her and asked, "Lady Tsunade, what has happened?"

Yet again she was ignored, so she decided she would wait until they were at the front of the crowd to see for herself. All too soon the crowd was moved out of their way and Sakura moved around Lady Tsunade to see what had caused such a commotion. They always did say 'what has been seen cannot be unseen.' To Sakura no truer words had ever been spoken.

This had to be some sick joke or a nightmare.

Anything! It couldn't be real.

There was no way.

And then it all started. All of her teammates were in shock at what they saw. Even the ever stoic silver haired team leader, Kakashi, was wide eyed and tears slipped from his one visible eye. Sasuke, the boy that she thought she was in love with, let out a gasp, his emotionless visage slipping and giving way to shock. Naruto, the blonde knucklehead that swore that one day he was going to be Hokage, was crying and screaming no over and over. Sai, the ex ANBU Root operative that was trained to have no emotion at all, was in shock just staring at the horrible sight before him. The sight of his best friend like this was just too much for him. He fell to his knees and bowed his head; no words could escape from his mouth. And then there was Ino, she had fallen to her knees wailing in sorrow and screaming.

And that's when it sunk in. This was real. This wasn't a dream. She turned her attention back to the horrible sight before her. The one that had caused everyone she loved so much pain and heartbreak, the reason why everyone was ignoring her, the reason that everything seemed wrong that day.

It was her. She didn't fall asleep and one of her teammates brought her home. She didn't fall to her death. She didn't trip on the roof. She was knocked out in her tired state and then killed.

Murdered.

This never should have happened. She was in her own village! It should have been safe there with all the ANBU that are on patrol at night. But it still wasn't enough, her body, what that sick creep had done to her. She looked like some psychopaths twisted piece of art.

Whoever did this had dressed her in a long flowing white dress, and bound her in a praying position on her knees. Her eyes were closed and small cuts had been made by her tear ducts to make it look like she was crying blood. Slits had been made by her shoulder blades where very real looking white feathered wings were inserted. But that wasn't the worst part. No the worst part was that her heart had been cut out. Her waist length pink hair flowed over her shoulders to frame the gaping hole where her heart should have been. The white dress was covered in her blood as it drained from the hole in her chest. In her praying hands she held a white rose that was speckled in red. It looked as if they had delicately dripped blood from her stolen heart over it with painstaking care.

She was made out to be a fallen angel.

It made her sick. And she would have been so if she wasn't looking at herself. She would have been crying at the sight if she wasn't the one that was dead. And in that moment she did the only thing she could do. She screamed out in horror. When she had finished letting out the scream she called out to the heavens, "This isn't right! I never did anything wrong! Why would you do this to me! Please! Someone, anyone help me!"

And in that moment her wish had been heard. The Gods figured they could grant that one at least. So they did what they have done for all of their fallen creations. They sent someone to guide her. And it was someone she had never expected them to send. And it was just her luck; it just had to be him.

~~~~~Confusing reality, I see myself but it's not really me, How could it be when I am me, I guess maybe it's just a dream, Come on, come on, come on wake up, wake up~~~~~

Notes: As I mentioned in the chapter prior to this, the first and third person point of view will not last forever. It is just to keep the story from getting to confusing between past and present events. Just so you all know, some chapters may be typed but not edited right away. One of my friends edits my chapters and she is not always here to do that... ok she is RARELY here to do so. If some chapters are later than I said they will be, I apologize in advance. Do keep in mind that like you, we are human too and we do have lives outside of Fanfiction.

~..End88~


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own any of the songs used in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Within Temptation- Memories

Trapt- Stillframe

Stone Sour- 1st Person

Atreyu- The Remembrance Ballad

Here is the next installment of Ever After. I did change something from the main Shippuden story line to fit my story. As always I hope you enjoy. This chapter goes out to nayuta and Sunstorm raining for their wonderful reviews. Reviews are appreciated, they keep me motivated. Criticism is accepted but only the constructive kind. Also please do not steal my story. I work hard on this so I can entertain you. If there is a part from this chapter, or any other chapter, that you would like to use, please consult me first.

~~~~~All of my memories keep you near, In silent moments imagine you'd be here~~~~~

Memories; they are not always pleasant. And it seems like the only ones we focus on are all the good ones. But the bad ones have a way of popping up exactly when we don't want them to or they are triggered by the appearance of someone from that particular memory. For me it was when the Gods sent him to guide me. At the time I was shocked but now I am glad they did. Or I wouldn't know half of the things I do now. But that is a conversation that will come later. For now, let us continue from where we left off, shall we?

~~~~~Please help me 'cause I'm breaking down, This picture's frozen and I can't get out~~~~~

'_I can't believe this; why would someone do this to me? I never did anything to anyone and I only did what I was supposed to do,' _the pink haired woman thought as she continued to stare at twisted form that was her body.

"Get her out of here! I will not have my student on display like some historical exhibit! And find her heart she will not be buried without it!" Lady Tsunade ordered all the ninja in the vicinity.

Sakura looked at her teacher when she spoke. She was grateful that she would not be buried without her heart. Not that she felt that she should have to be buried; she didn't feel dead even as she stared at her own motionless body. She looked at her friends and knew that they felt the same way she did. They never should've had to see anyone, especially her, like this.

She looked once more at her body that was being unbound by two ANBU members that were in the area when the order was given, "This is so wrong. Who would do this to me?" Sakura wondered to no one since no one could see or hear her, "So what happens now? D-do I get to move on?"

"You will eventually. If you are still here that means you have something left undone, a task that must be taken care of before you leave this place. In your case, you have been given two tasks that must be complete before you can move on," a voice spoke from behind Sakura. Not expecting an answer, she jumped.

The voice was familiar but she couldn't place who it belonged to until she turned around. It was _him, _the one she had fought with long ago. She didn't kill him but she had heard that he had been killed. Sakura certainly never expected one of her past enemies to be there with her. Let alone be sent to _help_ her. It was just so odd that the Gods would even think of sending _him_. But that was just her very unfortunate luck making itself known again.

"I know it must be shocking to see me again but I was sent here to help you. If we die before the allotted time that the Gods have given us then we left this place with things left unfinished. I am here because of what I learned from my task. Although that is a story for another time," he spoke without expecting a response, only to be surprised when she did speak.

"Sasori, I was told that you were killed not long after the Kazekage incident, so why did they send you? Was it because the killer thinks like you with the whole art is eternal crap?" She spat at the light red haired man. And being who he was, he was unaffected by her animosity towards him.

"I will admit that I do love art and that it should be everlasting, but this is twisted even by my standards," Sasori stated and then thought to himself, '_If I would have known what I do now, I never would have let this happen to you Sakura. I would have done my job.'_

"Is that really it? Or are you hiding something that you don't want me to find out?" She asked.

"There is something, but this you will find out over time. My task is unimportant. Your task however involves your death. You must find out who killed you and why. In order to do that we must seek help from someone that is still among the living. After all, it will be hard for us to catch your murderer from the realm of the dead. Your other task will be completed when you convince this person to help us. You must tell them your story, the story of your death," he paused and thought for a second before he continued, "I believe I know someone who may be able to help us. We must hurry though; they may not be in the area too much longer."

"Fine, but you have to tell me about this whole being dead thing. Also you should tell me about your task. After all I have the rest of forever now so you'll have to tell me sometime," Sakura conceded.

"Deal. I will tell you about the realm of the dead first. If we have time afterwards I will tell you about my task," He relented.

"Well go on then, tell me everything I need to know about being dead."

'_This is going to be a ridiculously long trip,' _Sasori sighed and then began, "The first thing that you need to know about being dead, is that you don't know that at first. Most ninja 'wake up' thinking that their death was a dream. After about ten minutes or so they realize it wasn't a dream and their guide tells them the task they must complete before they can move on. For you it is different because you didn't die in combat and you didn't see the person that killed you. You were killed after you were knocked out so it took longer for you to figure it out. Some never find out and their souls end up condemned to purgatory. My task, like yours is now, was not as easy as others. Some of us spend a year or more trying to complete our unfinished business. After it is done we move on until we are called back to guide a new arrival. I will tell you who my guide was when I tell you my story. Only then will it all make sense."

Sakura looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't continue she asked, "So what can and can't I do now that I am dead? Well, besides the whole no one living can see or hear me thing."

Sasori took a quick glance at the scenery around them and realized they still had about half a day before they reached the person they were seeking. After his inspection he continued, "What we are able to do after we die is little to nothing. We are not solid matter anymore so the most we can do is walk through walls, trees, and any other inanimate object. The rumors about the dead being able to perform poltergeist activities, is not true either. However, with practice we are able to disappear and reappear in the location of our choosing. We are also able to talk to the living in their dreams. When we are in their dreams, we are able to find anything that person wishes to hide from the world. This ability is one of the most valuable tools we have at our disposal."

"Wow," Sakura gasped out as she stared wide eyed at Sasori, "Is that everything?"

"About the realm of the dead, that is everything that is important. I will explain more as time passes. Now then, if you still wish to know of my story I shall tell it," seeing Sakura frantically nodding her head out of the corner of his eye, Sasori rolled his auburn eyes and continued, "After our encounter that I barely managed to escape from, I traveled back to the Akatsuki hideout and continued my missions until I was confronted by an opponent that I could not defeat. I was eliminated in that battle. When I came to, like you and many others, I had no memory of my death. So I carried on like I always did. It wasn't until I arrived back at the base that I learned of my demise. It was the topic of conversation when I entered, my former partner being the one complaining about my death… well not so much my death as his new obscenely annoying partner. From there I wandered for a little while until I finally swallowed my pride and asked for help. It was only after I asked for help that my guide appeared and told me of my task. I had to find out my true family history.

I ended up spending months entering dreams. After some searching I found out that my parents and grandmother were not my real family. I was adopted by them because they could not have children. Since my adoptive parents and grandmother were dead I had to do things the hard way. It wasn't until I entered the dreams of my grandmother's brother that I found the truth. To confirm it I entered the dreams of all the elders from the Hidden Leaf. I found that I was from Konoha and that I had siblings. Though my real parents had passed on, my older brother and younger sister were still alive. Unfortunately my parents couldn't afford to keep my brother and I no matter how much they wanted to; so we were given up for adoption.

My brother is still in rain but, he decided that after the war there that he wanted better for the village. I was unknowingly in the same organization that he started. To think that all these years I was with family and I never knew it. He didn't know it either though. My sister on the other hand, she was a dedicated leaf ninja. She had so many friends that all loved her. She was always happy and always smiling. I even fought her in battle once. I didn't kill her but I knew exactly who she was the second I saw her image in that dream. I only wish I had known that it was her. I never would have tried to hurt her. I love her even if I don't know her very well. I swore that I would protect her but I failed at that."

"How did you fail her? I'm sure she would have loved you no matter what," Sakura interjected when Sasori paused his story.

"I failed her because she ended up dying. I couldn't stop her death no matter how hard I tried. And believe me I tried everything in my power to stop it. Since I am dead there was nothing I could do. I had to watch her be killed by someone I had never seen before. So I can't even help her find her killer," Sasori spoke with so much sorrow in his tone that Sakura wished that she could help him.

"You tried so hard, I'm sure she would never hate you for it. I would be honored if someone tried that hard to stop my death," Sakura said in a quiet tone before she remembered something that she had yet to ask him, "You know, you never did tell me who your guide was."

Sasori looked at her in mild surprise before he answered, "Let me explain the whole guide issue. The person that guides you during your task is actually your most recently deceased family member. For me it was my real mother. Or should I say our mother."

Sakura's jade eyes widened as far as they could and her mouth dropped open from his last statement, "You mean that you are my brother? If you really are then who is my other brother and what's his name? Are you disappointed that I am your sister? Can we go see our older brother? Can I talk to him in his dreams? Do you think he will hate me?"

"In that order, yes, the Akatsuki leader Pein, no I am not, in time yes, he doesn't sleep often but when he does yes, and no I don't think he will hate you," He responded to her rapid questioning, "We can go see him after we meet with the person that will help us find your killer."

"Hey Sasori, thanks for trying to save me. Even if you couldn't, you still tried and that's all that counts. I just wish I could have known you both while we were still alive. Maybe then things would have been better for all of us. Maybe we all could have been happy," Sakura said.

"Then we would have had no reason to join or form the Akatsuki. However fate had other plans and this is how we ended up. We should speed up, dwelling on 'what ifs' and 'what could haves' will not get us there any faster. We are close now," he spoke.

"How much longer until we get there?" She asked.

"Not much. We should be there in about half an hour. I just hope that they are still there. Otherwise we will have to track them down and that could take us even longer. It will be dark when we get there and the person we are seeking might be in a light sleep. That gives us a chance to get some leverage to use when we try to convince them to help us," Sasori supplied.

"So is that our plan then? What if this person doesn't believe me? Then what will we do?" Sakura asked.

"If they see me they will know that you are telling the truth. Just like our brother will know when we show up in his dream," he said trying to calm his little sister down from her over thinking.

After that things were silent between the two dead siblings. Night had fallen and they soon arrived at their destination. Just as they had hoped, the person they sought was there and in fact sleeping. Nodding his head, Sasori gave Sakura the signal to enter the person's dreams. And she did just that, not even bothering to take a close look at the person whose dream she was entering. Upon entrance into the dreamscape she wished that she would have checked because what awaited her was shocking and she didn't even have to pull the information like Sasori told her to. She was looking at it.

Having gathered the information that she needed, Sakura left the dreamscape and was soon standing next to her brother when she said, "I have what I need, so now what do we do?"

"We wait. Though if this person is able to do what I think they can, we won't have to wait long. They can probably hear us talking and will soon be alert," he answered.

And Sasori was right as the persons eyes shot open and two kunai were sent at them. Both siblings, knowing that they couldn't be hurt by them, didn't even bother to dodge them. It was only then that the person took notice of the two other people standing in the clearing and their eyes slightly widened upon taking in the pair.

"That wasn't very nice you know. But it really doesn't matter since we can't be hurt anyways," Sakura stated nonchalantly.

"How…," the person said.

"It's all part of being dead. The only problem we have is that we need help and you are the only one that can help us right now. You are the only one that has been able to see us. I know your truth and soon you will learn mine if you are willing to listen and help us," Sakura answered his stated question.

"Explain," the person commanded, "and then I will decide if I will help you or not."

"Fine then. Let me tell you a story. The story of how I died."

And so Sakura began. The words flowed from her lips until well into the morning. Everything she knew and everything the person needed to hear. It would be awhile yet before her story came full circle. In the end everything depended on the one person who could help her; the person who was currently standing before her. And soon she would know if they were on her side or not.

~~~~~Now everything's a side, Everything's one side, Everything depends on just which side you're on~~~~~

Notes: As promised, this is my longest chapter so far. I'm hoping to have all the rest of the chapters turn out this long or longer. I was going to end this chapter after the part about the person waking up but, I decided against it. I needed this chapter to end at a certain point in order for the next chapter to work the way I want it to. Last but not least, I changed how Sasori died. I didn't want him to be killed by Sakura because in this story they are related. Don't ask why I did it. I just thought that he would have been a good older brother. As always, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I hope to have the next one up in about a week.

~This. Is. Not. The. End88~


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own any of the songs used in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Within Temptation- Stand My Ground

We Are The Fallen- I Am Only One

In Flames- Dead End

I am so sorry for the delay on this chapter. In light of this taking so long, I have started an update log on my profile page so you all will know how long until I post. There is also an explanation on why it took me so long. As always I hope you enjoy. Reviews are appreciated, they keep me motivated. Criticism is accepted but only the constructive kind. Also please do not steal my story. I work hard on this so I can entertain you. If there is a part from this chapter, or any other chapter, that you would like to use, please consult me first.

~~~~~Stand my ground I won't give in, No more denying I got to face it~~~~~

"Murder; it is not something that is condoned by the Gods. Nor should it ever be; but in the times we live in… let's just say it is not something that can be avoided. Some enjoy it more than others and more often than not it is done out of spite. Every so often we all wish that there was someone that we could kill. Whether it is because of the way they act or because of the things they do everyone feels this urge at some point. For the most part we do not always act on such an impulse. In my case, the person did.

In some way the person who killed me did it to keep me from stopping them. I just don't know who it was or why they needed to be stopped. But that is what I need your help with. I know that you are able to see me because of your eyes. As cursed as they may be, I need you to use them to help me find my killer," I told the one before me.

"What makes you think that after your story, that I should help you find your killer?" his cold voice asked.

"It is as I said before; I know your truth. I also know that you are not as evil as you make yourself out to be. You cannot hide these things from someone that is now among the dead. We have our ways of finding things out. I cannot bring my killer to justice from beyond the grave. That is what makes me think that you will help us," I answered.

"You have very naïve ideals if you think that you can talk me into helping you. I currently have my own agenda to complete and helping the dead is not, and shall not be part of it," the person responded.

"Before you leave, answer me this one last question. Do you really think that if he knew the truth, that he would hate you?" I asked.

"If not me then he would hate them. I will not allow it, he would kill them all," was the reply.

"You give him far too little credit. In any case, I will not allow you to die. I know that he will be able to see me also when you do come into contact with him. I know he will listen to me. After all, I know his truths also," was my cryptic response.

"I have one last thing to ask you before I decide if I will help or not; do you still love him?" They questioned me.

"I do. But it is not in the way that you think. He is one of my best friends and I would do anything to make him happy. Ever after no longer exists for me, but for him it still does and I will ensure that he has one, just as I would for you whether you decide to help me or not. So tell me, Itachi Uchiha, are you willing to help me?" I asked him.

"I will, but only for his sake. If you had been anyone that was not close to him, I would have said no. But I know that he cares for his team," he answered.

"Well then, now that that is settled, is there anything you need to do before we start?" My brother asked Itachi.

"There is one thing. I have to tell Pein that I am helping his little sister for a while so that I am not called away on a mission," Itachi stated.

"Fine then, we shall accompany you to your base. After all it's not like anyone will be able to see us anyways. Plus, this could be our chance to talk to our brother in his dreams," I told him.

"Itachi, is the base still the same as the one from when I was still alive?" Sasori questioned the long dark haired male.

"It is. Why do you ask?" Itachi answered Sasori's question with one of his own.

"Head for the base, we'll meet you there. I am going to teach Sakura how to 'teleport'," my brother said. With a nod of his head Itachi was on his way. Sasori turned to me and began the explanation.

"'Teleporting' is quite easy once you get the hang of it. The only problem with it is that you can only go to places you have seen in pictures or to places you have been. I will have to take you to the Akatsuki base myself since you have never been there, but I will teach you how to for future use. Let us move to the far end of this field," My brother stated.

We proceeded to the desired destination, which really didn't take us long at all, and Sasori spoke again, "Alright, now, I want you to focus on one of the trees on the other side of the field. Once you have picked the tree I want you to close your eyes and picture the tree in your mind. After you have the image of the tree in your mind, I want you to picture yourself standing next to the tree. If you did it right you should be in that spot you imagined. Go ahead and try it."

It sounded easy enough to do so I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I did what my brother told me to and pictured the tree that I had picked out on the other side of the field. With the image set in stone in my mind, I imagined myself standing next to it. After a couple of minutes of not feeling myself do anything, I opened my eyes. I looked around and saw Sasori still standing in the same place as he was when he explained how this thing worked. That's when I knew that I had done it right.

"Excellent. Now that I know you can to it, we can get going. As I said before, you have never seen, or been to, the Akatsuki base. So I will have to take you there myself," Sasori explained as he made his way over to me, "Now, shall we go?"

I nodded my head in agreement as Sasori took my hand and closed his eyes. It's strange to watch your surroundings just fade away. I felt like I was Nightcrawler from that X-men comic book Naruto had showed me. Apparently that is his favorite character from the series. He let me borrow it one time and I found that I prefer Gambit. And now I am having another ADD moment. Anyway, back to what I should be doing.

Looking around I noticed that Itachi had just arrived as well. I nodded at him to let him know that I acknowledged his presence, and then I turned to examine the Akatsuki base. It was nothing like I thought it would be. I always thought it would be an old castle or a cave or something cliché like that, but I was wrong. It was far from anything like that. It was normal, just a two story house that looked like any other in the area. It's no wonder Konoha has never found it. We never expected it to look like this.

"Itachi, you go on and talk to Pein. I have something I need to do before I join you. What are you going to do Sakura?" Sasori asked.

"I think I am just going to wander around inside the base. I am kind of curious to see what it looks like. Plus I will get to see what the other members are like, I mean it's not like they can see me anyways," I stated.

I watched Sasori sigh and then make his way into the base with Itachi following not long after. Shrugging my shoulders, I made my way into the base as well. It really is weird being dead. All things that would have stopped me before no longer do. Walls, doors, trees and any other solid matter in general. None of it could stop me anymore. The feeling was weird too, but only because there was no feeling. We don't feel anything physical.

Walking through the closed door I noticed the hallway was just as normal as the outside. The only difference that it had was that there were no pictures or anything of the sort on the walls. Moving on, I made my way down the hall to the kitchen and just like everything else it was normal. My next stop was the living room, which was also normal. The bathroom was the same as everything else. _Something in this house HAS to be different. I just haven't found it yet. I'm sure that the bedrooms will look more unique._ With that thought I made my way towards the bedrooms.

The first one I ran into was plain. There was nothing in it. So I moved on to the next one. Much like the other room I went into, this one was plain too. The next room was only a little different from the other two. This one had a lot of books and scrolls on the book shelf and since I couldn't touch any of them, I moved on to the next. The next one was dull and so was the one after that. Then next room had a bunch of suitcases full of money and an open bingo book, but that was about it. Then after all my searching I found the rooms that had character. One of them was full of origami, another had art everywhere, one had symbols all over it, and the last was full of fish stuff. That one I found the weirdest. I bet it belongs to Itachi's partner Kisame.

Oddly enough though, I didn't see anyone in these rooms. Nor did I see them in any of the other rooms in the house. I didn't even run into Sasori or Itachi. Oh well, I guess I'll just keep looking around. Besides, there are still two more doors at the end of this hallway and I'm still curious. They always did say that curiosity killed the cat, but I am already dead so I wonder what they say when it's a dead cat.

The first room looked like some sort of meeting hall. There was still no one to be found so I went into the last room. Jackpot! I felt like Lady Tsunade when she won the lottery. The room itself was an office. It looks like it has been used a lot and there were people in here. Well, two people to be exact. I had finally found Itachi and I'm guessing the person he is talking to is my oldest brother Pein.

"Was the mission a success?" He asked Itachi.

"It was. I seem to have run into… a matter that I must attend to immediately though," Itachi said.

"Oh and what would that be?" My brother asked again.

From what I could tell from here, he had orange hair styled very much like Naruto's hair. That and he had a lot of piercings all over his face. The thing that I wanted to see though, were his eyes. And from where I was standing I couldn't get a good look at them so I moved in closer and stood next to Itachi. I could see them now. He has grey eyes with rings in them. They have a very hypnotizing quality to them.

Still looking at Itachi, he spoke again," Itachi, why is there a pink haired girl standing next to you? And who is she?"

Itachi opened his mouth to answer but I cut him off in my shock," You can see me?"

"Of course I can. Now who are you and why are you here?" He asked again.

This time Itachi answered him," She is the reason I will not be going on missions for a while. I am sure once I tell you who she is that you will allow me to be off duty for a while."

"And why would I let you off of missions to help her?" Pein asked.

"I can answer that for you," a new voice spoke. "She is Sakura Haruno and recently she was killed."

"Why should I allow one of my best ninja to help the dead? And who are you?" My brother said. He looked pissed that there were so many people that he did know in his base.

"You already know who I am. As for why you would let Itachi help Sakura," Sasori paused as he stepped out of the shadows," Well, to put it simply it is because she is your sister and she wasn't killed in battle; she was murdered. Besides, you would want to let your only family members down would you? After all, we both died without knowing that you are our older brother. It took my death to figure that out. Had I known that you could see me, I would have told you to protect out little sister since I could not. Now she needs all of us to help her, not to mention a few others."

I watched as Pein's eyes widened. It was odd; he didn't look like he showed much emotion ever. I guess finding out that you have family that just so happen to be dead can do that to someone. If I was him I would be doing the same thing. I probably would have been worse though. People would have started to think I had gone mute by the time I would have spoken.

Pein remained quiet and in thought for a couple of minutes before he finally spoke," So let me get this straight Sasori, you and Sakura are my younger siblings and you both died. Now you need Itachi and I to help you with the events surrounding my little sister's death. Is this correct?"

"It is. So, will you help us?" Sasori asked.

Pein's ringed grey eyes met Sasori's auburn eyes as he contemplated his decision. After what felt like forever Pein looked at me and spoke, "What do you need us to do?"

And so Sasori and I went on to tell our older brother what had happened and what we required of him. It didn't take very long before Pein was pissed. Then we told him what they did after they killed me and he was out for blood. With the way things were looking, soon he would call back the rest of the Akatsuki members to help. With them helping us look for my heart, we could find it in no time.

My heart…

Is the one thing I want most.

~~~~~Ever after never came, And I'm still waiting, For my heart to beat again~~~~~

Notes: As I mentioned earlier, I have started an update log on my profile page. I have done this to keep you all informed on why chapters are late if it should ever happen again. Again I am so sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter posted. Now for the notes on the story: Not only does this story base off of some parts of the book _Remember Me_, it also bases off of the song I Am Only One by We Are The Fallen. I highly suggest that you listen to this song while you are reading Ever After. As always I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will hopefully have the next chapter up soon.

~This. Is. Not. The. End88~


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Also I do not own any of the songs that I use in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Rise Against- Whereabouts Unknown

We Are The Fallen- Sleep Well, My Angel

Seven Day Sonnet- Hapless

We Are The Fallen- I Am Only One

Well here is chapter six. I know it took me forever to get this one done, but I do have my reasons. There is a full explanation in the update section of my profile if you would like to know why it took me so long. In light of everything that has happened in the past few months, I hope this chapter is to your liking. As always reviews are much appreciated, I love hearing what you all have to say. Criticism is accepted, but only if it is constructive. If you are going to flame me or anything like that it will only make me laugh. Also please do not steal my story. I put a lot of work into writing this so I can entertain you. If there is a part from this chapter, or any other chapter, that you would like to use, please consult me first. Well that's enough babble out of me, I hope you all enjoy it!

~~~~~It's alright now, 'Cause all is forgiven, If you could just listen~~~~~

Standing back and watching the world turn was something that I was becoming quite accustomed to. I scanned the room I was currently in once more, taking note of the fact that the Akatsuki members were still holding their meeting. It was at this moment that I realized just how good of a leader my eldest brother is. Every member had their eyes trained on him as he spoke. I was proud to have him as my brother, no matter what he had done in the past. Much like Sasori, I had forgiven him a long time ago.

Things had been quite... different, since that day two weeks ago when I had first approached Itachi and met my, still living, brother. After I had told Pein what had happened, he had indeed called all the wayward members of the Akatsuki back to the base. It took about a week for all of them to arrive back and then it had taken about another week for them all to be individually debriefed from their missions. In that time Sasori had been attending the debriefings, so that left me with little to do. And since there is currently only three people that can see me, only two of which are still living, I ended up spending all of my time with Itachi.

To put it simply, Itachi is not much for conversation. One of the most talked about topics between the two of us was: "May I inquire as to why you are here?" from Itachi with a response of "Only three people can see me and two of them are currently busy. That leaves you as my only other option." from me. Needless to say, we didn't talk much.

After two weeks of 'conversation' with Itachi, Pein was finally ready to hold the meeting to explain to the other members why they were all called back, hence bringing us back to the present and to my current feeling of being alone in a crowd. You never realize just how true that is until you are dead. But alas it is something that I am becoming quite used to.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts I tuned back in to the meeting at hand. Pein had decided that he needed to inform the rest of the Akatsuki about his family history. He thought it would make it easier for them to understand why he had taken a sudden interest in the death of a Konoha ninja. Most of them had looked surprised after he had told them that. When he had finished with that 'story', he had moved on to my death.

I haven't really felt much since I died, I mean of course there is the initial shock and denial about it but, there was just something that tugged at my missing emotions as I watched my only living relative talk about my death. It took a moment of me searching my mind and memories for it to come to me. What I felt right then and there was sadness mixed with regret. Sadness because I had left him all alone when I died and regret because we had never known each other when I was alive. I guess there isn't anything that can be done now since it is out of my control.

"As of now, the Akatsuki has a new mission," Pein spoke, "That mission is to gather any information that you can about who killed my sister as well as finding any lead on the current whereabouts of her heart. Should you come into contact with any Konoha ninjas you are to get a hold of me immediately. Do you all understand your mission?" All the members nodded to show that they did indeed understand the mission parameters. After seeing them agree, Pein continued, "There will only be two groups changing partners for this mission the rest will be the same as always. Itachi and I will be partnered while Konan will be partnered with Kisame. We leave tomorrow at 5am. You are all dismissed."

I watched the members leave the room until the only ones, well living ones anyway, were Itachi and Pein. It was odd being alone with them. Usually Sasori is present but he had already left to see if he could find out any new information that Konoha might have gathered in the last two weeks. I would have to say that the overwhelming silence was giving the term 'awkward' a whole new meaning.

"Well this is only going to be the most awkward mission I've ever been on. Is there going to be any communication at all or should I just become a mime? Seriously though, do we have any idea were to even start looking?" I asked.

"The most obvious place is most often where things are found. We will begin our search in Konoha." Pein said.

"That does make sense but Sasori is already there. Don't you think that if something was going on there that he would know about it by now and would have come back already?" I inquired.

This time Itachi decided to answer, "He would have if that is what he went there to do. Sasori is just there to gather information from the Hokage, the Hokage Tower is not the rest of the village. Searching the entire village is our mission."

"I see, well then if you two want I can meet up with Sasori and we will wait for you two in my apartment. I'm sure my brother has done his homework and knows my address," Itachi and Pein both nodded, "Alright then, I'll see you both in a day or so."

I looked at both Itachi and Pein before I closed my eyes and envisioned myself standing next to the Hokage's desk. After a moment I opened my eyes and saw the familiar walls and bookshelves' of Lady Tsunade's office. Now all I have to do is find my brother. I wonder if dead people have their own way of paging other dead people. That will be the day. I can see it now, 'Presenting the Dead Pager! Now with new features! Remember though, if they're not dead they won't answer!' I think being dead is making me more morbid...

Okay then, back to the task at hand._ If I were Sasori where would I be? He was supposed to be gathering information here but the place is empty. My best guess is that he is wherever Lady Tsunade is. Now where does Lady Tsunade go at 3pm on a Thursday? Hmm... Thursday... That's it!_

I closed my eyes once more and pictured the place that Tsunade normally goes on Thursday. I opened my eyes and stared at the building looming over me. It's weird to think of this as one of the last few places I was seen alive. I took a deep breath and then walked through the glass entrance doors. I don't think I will ever get used to walking through solid matter.

Sighing I walked up the stairs to the third floor. I wondered down the hall listening for Lady Tsunade's voice. Though I suppose I should just stay out in the hallway and watch for her, after all, none of the ICU patients hold conversation. Though I guess she could be talking to one of the other staff members, but just to be sure I'll wait out here and see what happens.

After waiting a couple of minutes, Lady Tsunade stepped out of one of the rooms a little further down the hall. Just as I had guessed, Sasori walked through the door after her. Noticing my blatantly obvious pink hair, he made his way down the hall in my direction.

"Sakura, what are you doing here? I thought you were with the other Akatsuki members at the base." Sasori's face took on a confused look.

"The mission is underway already. Itachi and Pein will be on their way here to start looking into things. I came here ahead of them to inform you of what is going on. They should be here by tomorrow evening and we are to meet them at my apartment. I'm guessing that since my death is still fairly recent that no one has gone in there to clean out my things. So, have you found out anything from shadowing Lady Tsunade?" I know I should have waited for Pein and Itachi to arrive to ask, but I just have to know.

"I have found out something from following her but I would rather wait to mention it until the other two arrive. As of now this could be our only lead, but for all I know it could also have nothing to do with your death. Still it is worth looking into, better safe than sorry." I nodded my head in agreement to his statement.

"Well then I suppose we should head over to my place and wait for them to get here. Actually on second thought why don't you head there after Lady Tsunade retires for the day? I know that you know where it is since you were watching over me and all. I won't be gone long; I just want to see how everyone is holding up after my death. I just... I just want them to be alright." Sasori nodded and then went back to his self assigned task.

I closed my eyes and pictured my first stop. Sai's apartment appeared before my eyes when they opened. I let out another sigh as I headed through the door and into his apartment. It was so silent that it almost didn't seem like he was home. But I knew better, I always have. Sai is just Sai. Quiet, observant, and of course, tactless. Even though he is socially awkward he still tries and that is all that matters. The fact that he tries to be friendlier is what makes him a good friend. Sai never was good at showing emotions but over time they started to leak through and his smile is now real instead of fake. Here I am lost in a world that no longer exists for me, back to the point I guess.

I glanced around Sai's home and noticed something that was quite unusual for him. His normally spotless apartment was scattered with paper. I followed the haphazard trail of paper to his room and walked through the closed door. I looked around and spotted Sai sitting on the floor in the corner with his ever present sketch book open and the pencil moving across the page at a pace that was slower than normal, his dark bangs obscuring his onyx eyes.

As I made my way closer to him, I paused as his sketch book and the pencil he had been using went flying through me. I looked from where the sketch book landed back at Sai. His bangs still keeping his eyes hidden as his shoulders started to shake slightly. I knew then that he was crying. I never thought that he got so worked up when his drawings didn't turn out right. Then again I had yet to see what he was trying to draw. I decided that I wanted to see what was making Sai this upset and so I went over to the area that the sketch book landed.

"Why... why can't I get it right? Why can't I get her smile right?" I stopped in my tracks and looked back over at Sai. He was still in the same position as before. Hearing him speak was what really conveyed his grief over his failure.

I looked down at the sketch book that was lying on the floor next to me. If I had any sort of air intake, my breath would have been caught in my throat. On that open page was a very familiar image. So familiar that I could have been staring into a mirror. The drawing displayed on the page was me. I tore my eyes away from it and looked back over at Sai. He had yet to move but I could tell that he was still crying.

Even though I knew that he would not hear me I had to try. And before I knew it the words were out of my mouth, "Please don't cry. Everything is going to be alright Sai. I'll always watch over you, Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Kakashi, and Tsunade. Whether I am alive or dead, just know that I am always here, I always will be. I promise." I closed my eyes and left the room to go to my next stop, never knowing if Sai heard me or not.

~~~~~And the tears burn my eyes as you sit there all alone, I just want to come home~~~~~

Sai's head snapped up and he wildly looked around the room. He could have sworn that he had just heard Sakura telling him that she would always be here. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh before crawling across the floor and retrieving his sketch book. Whether he had really heard her or not, he knew that he had to keep trying. He had to get it right; after all he was drawing it for her so she could take it with her into the next world. All he wanted was for her to remember him.

~~~~~Don't want to remember my darkest days, Goodbyes are forever you slipped away~~~~~

Notes: I will be starting chapter seven tomorrow. As for when it will be up, I have no idea. It depends on how long it takes me to write it. Also I wanted to let you all know that I might be changing my user name. I have decided that if I do it will be the same user name that I use for every site that I need one for. I will let you all know when I post chapter seven if I am going to change it or not.

~This. Is. Not. The. End88~


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did things would have been a lot different. Also I do not own any of the songs that I use for my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song Credits and suggested song to listen to:

Golden Earring- Twilight Zone (I don't know why I didn't think of this one sooner)

Janus- If I Were You

We Are The Fallen- I Am Only One

Well, it would seem that my creativity has finally kicked in at full speed. It only took me about a day to write this chapter. It is fairly short but I couldn't think of any way to make this chapter longer and still end it where I wanted it to. As always I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Reviews are appreciated, they keep me motivated. Criticism is also accepted but only if it is constructive. Feel free to flame me if you want, I need a good laugh every once in a while. And on a final note, please do not steal my story, I work hard on it so I can entertain you. If there is a part from this chapter, or any other, that you would like to use, please consult me first.

~~~~~Help I'm stepping into the twilight zone, The place is a madhouse~~~~~

I'm starting to think that I got lost in some sort of time warp or a parallel universe. There is no way that this could be Naruto's apartment. For one I can see the floor, for two, I can see the WHOLE floor. I don't even think I have ever see Naruto's place clean, and yet here it is. It's like Sai and Naruto have changed bodies. Sai's house looks like a tornado hit it and Naruto's looks like Mr. Clean threw up the Scrubbing Bubbles brushes. I think I am just going to go check on him so I can get the hell out of the Twilight Zone...

And just when I thought it couldn't get any weirder, it could, and it did. Seeing Hinata in his room is not strange. Seeing Ino, Tenten, Sasuke, Kakashi, Temari, and oddly, Gaara, is strange. Even stranger yet is that they are holding a group counseling session. I wonder if they have a name for this little group. I... must... not... let... morbid... humor... take... over! Too late. I wonder if it is called 'My Best Friend Just Died Anonymous'. Nah, that can't be right. They all know each other. Time for me to go before I make anymore cracks at their AA session for dead friends.

I closed my eyes and imagined my room. Not like it was hard for me to do, that is where I woke up dead. I was greeted by the site of Sasori standing in front of me when I opened my eyes. I opened my mouth only to immediately shut it again when I realized that I was going to say something morbid. Sasori arched one of his eyebrows at my actions and I proceeded to give him the 'you don't want to know' look. He just shook his head and went back to whatever he was doing before I showed up.

Seeing as how it had been two weeks since I had been in my own house, I decided to go take a look around. My room had yet to be touched by anyone. The rest of the apartment I wasn't so sure of. I'm sure Sasori already made sure it was safe enough to harbor two members of the Akatsuki, but I just wanted to see the place that I lived in. When you are dead you see things in a different perspective. It's kind of like a kaleidoscope, you see different pictures when you turn it.

I wandered out of my room and down the hallway into my living room. Everything was just as I had left it and yet it all looked so different. Almost like it was a display room that no one had ever lived in. Seeing things this way is not that enjoyable, but it is not something that can be helped. It's just how things are. For all I know it will look like it used to when actual living people are in here.

I turn around and headed back toward my room. I couldn't stand being in the room when it was that dreary looking. Actually I can't stand being somewhere that has no living people in it. Upon entering my room I noticed that Sasori was no longer in here. I was going to let him know that I would be gone for a while, or should I say that I would be until Itachi and our brother showed up, but since he is not here I'm just going to leave. This is one of those times that having a 'Dead Pager' would really come in handy. Too bad that is just something I made up. Maybe when I finally get to move on I can talk to the higher ups about making one of those.

I really need to stop getting sidetracked. I mean really I come back to the present and find myself in the abandoned Uchiha District. I believe I wanted to go somewhere that had people in it. Not somewhere that has no people in it. I sigh as I turn around and start making my way back to the populated area of Konoha. This place is so creepy it could give a dead person the chills. Oh wait, I am dead and it does give me chills.

I didn't realize that I had been so lost in my thoughts that I made it half way through the Uchiha District. I suppose I could just 'teleport' myself out but my curiosity seems to have gotten the best of me. I'll never figure out how my curiosity won out over the blaring warning siren that is going off in my mind. There was also something else that was keeping me from leaving this place as fast as I could. I just couldn't put my finger on it though. Well I guess if I find out then I find out. If I don't, oh well, no hard feelings over something that is unknown.

I darted my eyes in the direction of the houses. I had never been in here when I was alive so I thought this was the perfect time to look around. Granted that it was the middle of the night and I probably should wait until the sun is up so I can actually see something besides moving shadows. Wait a second... moving shadows? Last time I checked shadows didn't move. Well not like this anyway.

I focused my attention on the shadow that bears a striking resemblance to a person. Nope I'm pretty sure that is a person. A person that is dressed as an ANBU. I wonder what they are doing here? Usually no one comes in here, not even the ANBU. It couldn't hurt to follow them and find out why they are here. Besides I have nothing better to do. Well, at least until Itachi and Pein show up. Then I will have plenty to do I'm sure.

Thinking that it was safe and that no one was watching, the ANBU made their way further into the Uchiha District, with me following. They turned down a few of the side streets and then entered one of the buildings. I made my way through the closed door and into what looked to be the meeting hall. I was expecting it to be empty except for the ANBU member, but it wasn't. In fact if I hadn't already known better, I would say that it looked like the Uchiha Clan had never left with as many people as there were here. They all had on black cloaks and in a way it reminded me of a cult meeting. Hell for all I knew they could very well be a cult. I think it would be best if I stuck around for this little 'meeting' of theirs.

The apparent 'leader' of this group went to the front of the room and all who were present became quiet. Whether it was out of fear or respect, I didn't know. As I watched the person step up to the podium, I noticed that all eyes seemed to be on their 'leader'. Seeing this reminded me of the meeting that was held in the Akatsuki hideout, only this one had more members. The person at the podium cleared their throat, it was then that I was able to tell that it was a man and that the meeting was about to be underway.

"I have called you all here to inform you that our goal is soon to be complete. We have gathered everything we need for the ceremony that is to take place on the night of the blood moon. All threats have also been eliminated. It was fortunate that one of our threats had something we needed for the ceremony. In three night's time, we will finally have the power to rule over this world. All there is to do now is wait. That is all. You may all now retire to the house that you have picked here." The man spoke to his followers.

This meeting had me confused. It left me with more questions than answers, but the one thing I did know was that they were planning to take over and it had to be stopped. Where was a living person that could see me when I needed them? On the plus side of things Itachi and Pein would be here in about 12 hours since it is daybreak and they should have left an hour or so ago. Not to mention that they are living and they can stop this from happening, but they are going to need help. Looks like I will just have to speed things up with the whole Sasuke running into Itachi thing. I don't know how I am going to manage that but I have no choice now.

I snapped out of my thoughts and found myself alone in the meeting room. I had to find Sasori as soon as possible. I closed my eyes and 'teleported' to my room. I opened my eyes and glanced around. Noting that he was not in here, I made my way throughout the apartment only to find that he had yet to return. This is one of those times that a pager is necessary. I sighed and went back to my room and sat on my bed. It would be best if I just stayed here and waited for him to return. If I went out to look for him it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. That and there is no guarantee that I will find him before Itachi and Pein arrive. It also might be best to only have to say it once.

The fate of the world has suddenly turned into a waiting game. Only this game will have dire consequences if things don't turn out in our favor.

~~~~~Whisper, Danger, Warning lights begin to shine, Over this cloud~~~~~

Notes: While writing this chapter, I seem to have gotten smacked by the morbid humor fairy. I could have written this chapter without any morbid humor at all but I was curious as to what Sakura would be like if she did have a morbid sense of humor. Not to mention that it would have been a very boring story if it was all serious. Also, I mentioned in the last chapter that I might change my user name. I have decided that I will stick with this name until Ever After is complete. After that I will more than likely change it.

~This. Is. Not. The. End88~


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not and will not ever own Naruto. Also I do not own any of the songs that I use in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

System Divide- Hollow

Eyes Set To Kill- Escape

We Are The Fallen- I Am Only One

So... I got a little off track towards the end of this chapter. I blame it solely on this wonderful headache that I am currently trying to get rid of. As always I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Reviews, for the love of God, will someone please let me know if they even like this story! At the rate this is going I am going to end up discontinuing it because I have no idea if anyone even likes it. Criticism is also accepted but only if it is constructive. By all means flame me if you want, I do enjoy a good laugh every now and then. And finally, please do not steal my story. I work hard on this so that I can entertain you. If there is a part from this chapter, or any other, that you would like to use, please consult me first.

~~~~~You will stand your ground, You will regain your pride, Salvation from lies, Salvation within~~~~~

I suppose if I am going to have to make things speed up, that I should probably live up to that whole 'I know Sasuke's secrets' thing. I just hope he is still sleeping. If he is not well then things might not work at all. I need to know something about him that no one else knows. Something that will convince him that I am not just a genjutsu that Itachi created to mess with him. I do have to say though, knowing something about Sasuke that I can hold over his head will be fun. I really need to go before I have no chance at all of 'dream surfing'.

I 'teleported' to the outside of Sasuke's house. I couldn't exactly pop up in his house since I had never been inside of it. I quickly made my way through his door and scanned the room in search of him. He wasn't in the room but I did happen to see a hallway, so I made my way down the hall glancing into every open door. He wasn't in any of the rooms that I looked in. I guess that just leaves the two closed doors at the end of the hall. I walked through the first of the two doors that I came across. Nothing, just an empty room that could have been made into a guest bedroom. I walked back through the door and went into the other door and just my luck, I found the correct room.

Someone must really like me and want me to succeed because Sasuke was in the room, and even better, sleeping. I quickly went over to him and entered his dreams. I wasn't as lucky as I was when I went into Itachi's. I will actually have to do some digging to find his secrets. It took a couple of minutes before I got to the good stuff. Oh this is going to be priceless. None of his secrets are as dark as I thought they would be. All of them were highly embarrassing for him. I quickly jumped out of his dreams and 'teleported' back to my room.

I did a quick check of my apartment and found that it was still empty. This is not good. I need to talk to my brothers and Itachi as soon as possible. The only good thing right now is that I have a way to convince Sasuke to help me without him trying to kill Itachi. Maybe after this is all over they can finally get along. Okay so maybe that is still a long shot but I can still hope for it right?

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the warning alarm that was in my room. All the Konoha ninjas had them installed there in case of a threat being spotted or an attack. The on duty ANBU had their own communication system in the form of headsets. This way every ninja would know what was going on and they would report to their emergency posts. There is no way that I will be of any help, so I 'teleported' to Lady Tsunade's office to find out what was going on. Upon my arrival I saw my whole team and my brother already there as well as Lady Tsunade who was explaining the situation.

"We are not under attack at the moment, but one of the ANBU has seen an Akatsuki team just outside of the village. We have no idea if they are just passing by or if they plan on infiltrating the village. I'd rather not run the risk of them trying to enter, so I am sending your team out to confront them about their intentions. If they are just passing through DO NOT engage them in a fight. I would rather not have to hold another funeral for someone on this team. Do you all understand me?" Tsunade asked while watching them all nod in agreement. "Good. According to the ANBU they are just outside of the front gates. You all know what to do. Dismissed."

Sasori and I looked at each other and then immediately 'teleported' to the front gates of the village. Once there we ran outside of the village and spotted Itachi and our brother standing in the shadows. We quickly made our way over to them hoping to get the chance to tell them what was going on before my team showed up. They both stayed where they were as they waited for us to get closer.

"Pein, my dear brother, I thought this was going to be a stealth mission. It can't be a stealth mission if every ninja in the whole village knows that you are here!" I spat, my temper beginning to flare, "And do you want to know the best part of this little situation? The Hokage sent my team to come and confront you and find out your intentions. Oh this is just fantastic! Here they come now! I wonder what Sasuke is going to think when he sees me giving hell to his brother and the Akatsuki leader. What the hell were you both thinking when you decided that this was a good idea! You know what? Don't answer that. I have to deal with my team right now."

I turned to face my team that had stopped just a little ways away from me. Sasuke and Kakashi were standing frozen in their spots with wide eyes. Sai and Naruto were looking at them with confusion. Sasuke had activated his Sharingan and Kakashi had lifted his headband to reveal his lone Sharingan eye. I knew that they could both see me and were quite shocked by this. I just wish that Sai and Naruto could see me too.

"S- Sakura?" Sasuke whispered. My temper was still flaring from my little confrontation with Itachi and my brother so I looked at him and narrowed my eyes.

"Oh now everyone can see me! I could have used that a few hours ago when I was watching that cult organization make their plans for world domination!" I seethed. Itachi and my brothers looked at me after my little outburst. I could tell that they wanted me to explain what I had just said. None of them got the chance to say anything though.

"There is no way that you are here. You're dead, we all saw your body. This has to be one of Itachi's illusions!" Sasuke said, his face contorting into one of anger at the idea of Itachi conjuring me up as a genjutsu.

My eyes narrowed into slits as my temper finally reached its peak. "Illusion am I? Well Sasuke what kind of illusion can tell you your most embarrassing secrets? Ones that Itachi doesn't even know about?"

"You lie. You know nothing about me!" He shouted in his rage.

"Fine then. Let me commence with your unending embarrassment. Your first secret is that you have a crush on Temari and you have since you met her at the Chunin exams." I said, watching his eyes widen slightly.

"That's not really a secret Sakura. I knew that he did I just never used it against him." Itachi interjected.

"Can it Itachi!" I spat at him and then turned my attention back to Sasuke. "Fine then. Since he already knows that one then I guess I will just have to tell you about the other ones I know. I also know that you sleep with a teddy bear and that you have a problem sleeping on missions because you don't bring it along. And just to make sure that you know it's me and not Itachi, The last thing I know is that after Itachi killed the clan it gave you nightmares so bad that you used to wet the bed until you were nine years old."

I looked at everyone's expressions after my little announcement. Sasuke was in shock, Kakashi and my brothers looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there, Naruto and Sai where still confused, and Itachi, well his reaction was one that I didn't expect. He had his eyes closed and a hand over his mouth while his shoulders were shaking, it didn't take long before his composure finally crumbled completely and he burst out in laughter. Every person present looked at him completely flabbergasted since they had never seen the stoic man laugh.

Seeing this made my anger completely dissipate and I mentally patted myself on the back for my newfound accomplishment. After all it's not every day that someone can make the great Itachi Uchiha roll around on the ground laughing. I have to admit though, Itachi is actually pretty cute when he laughs. Okay so he is cute all the time but that is not something that I am going to get into at this moment. He would probably find a way to kill me again if he found out that I think he is cute when he is laughing.

After a few minutes Itachi finally calmed down from his little outburst. He glanced around to see everyone looking at him in shock. Until his eyes landed on my smiling face. He arched an eyebrow as he stared at me, silently asking me what I was so happy about. My smile only got bigger when I saw his expression.

"So you can smile and laugh after all. You know I must say that you looked really cute when you did," After the words slipped out of my mouth my eyes widened and I clasped my hand over my mouth. I can't believe I just let that slip. Now he is going to try and kill me again!

Itachi then did something I hadn't expected. He smirked at me, "You know Sakura, you look pretty cute all the time."

Everyone's reaction was immediate as all eyes went wide and their jaws dropped. Except for both of my brothers that is. Both of them had narrowed their eyes and practically glared at Itachi for that comment. Then of course there is my reaction. My eyes went wide and somehow I ended up blushing. Dead people do not have blood and therefore should not be blushing! I'm going to have a lot of questions for the higher ups when I finally meet them...

That's it enough of this. There are more pressing matters that need to be discussed and this is not one of them. The expression on my face shifted to one of seriousness and I turned to Itachi. Noticing my look his mood sobered and the smirk fell back into a neutral expression. He knew what I wanted him to do and he knew that I didn't go through the trouble of convincing Sasuke for no reason at all.

"Sasuke, Itachi has something that he wants to tell you. You will listen to what he has to say and you will NOT try to kill him. I need you both to help me and to do that you both need to be ALIVE. Also what Itachi has to tell you is the truth. He's not making it up just to mess with you. Now Itachi," I pointed at him, "Explain. You," I turned and pointed at Sasuke, "Listen. Do not interrupt either."

With that said, I walked over to my brothers and stood between them. As Itachi explained everything about the massacre to Sasuke, and everyone else, I started to plan out how to stop this new threat that has been living in our own village. There has to be something that we can do, but how do we stop them from completing their ceremony? The only way to do that would be to take something vital that they need to do it. And then it hit me, their leader said that they had taken something that they needed from one of the threats they had eliminated. Whatever it was we need to find it, and fast. Not to mention that we are going to need all the help we can get, which means all of the members of the Akatsuki and every available ninja that Konoha can offer. We need to talk to the Hokage. Now.

Coming out of my thoughts, I noticed that Itachi had finished telling everyone what had really happened on the night of the massacre. "Kakashi, I know you can see and hear me. You need to go get Lady Tsunade now. I found out something this morning and we are going to need help, and lots of it." Kakashi nodded his head and took off for the Hokage Tower to collect Lady Tsunade.

Naruto finally decided to speak up and looked at everyone present, well everyone that he could see. "Can you guys really see Sakura?"

"We can. We can also see Sasori who is Sakura's guide." Itachi said.

"Really? How come her guide is Sasori?" Naruto once again asked.

"Sasori is her guide because he is her most recently deceased relative." Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke went wide eyed after Itachi's statement.

"What is the purpose of me being called out here?" All eyes shifted to the form of Tsunade as she stepped out of the village gates, followed closely by Kakashi.

"Lady Hokage, it seems you and I have a common goal and we would be more than happy to see that it is completed." Pein finally spoke.

"Oh and what would that be?" Tsunade suspiciously inquired.

"We both want to find my little sister's stolen heart and eliminate all those that are involved with her death." He said in a menacing voice.

All ninja from Konoha froze in shock at his announcement. It was then that I just knew this was going to be the longest night of explanations I have ever been through. That is unless I skip it and start searching for the item that will stop the ceremony.

"Itachi, Pein, please explain everything that has happened since my death. Sasori should be able to fill you in on the things that you don't know. I have something to tell you all but there is something that I need to go take care of. I will be back soon enough. If it is possible ask Lady Tsunade to move this conference to her office. I will meet you all there when I am finished." They both nodded and watched as I vanished from their sight.

I arrived at my destination and looked up at the looming gates of the Uchiha District. I sighed as I disappeared into the shadows of the compound. This really is going to be a long night.

~~~~~Darkness is an illusion, Just don't fall for it, Come with me and take my hand, Take my hand~~~~~

Notes: I have noticed that none of the songs that I used in this chapter have anything to do with the story. The reason for that is: I could think of anything that would work. I even spent two hours looking and still came up with nothing. I'll probably end up posting this tomorrow since it is late right now and I am tired. After I post this I will be starting the next chapter.

~This. Is. Not. The. End88~


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, everyone that died would be back to haunt the living. Also, I do not own any of the songs that I use in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Cavo- Thick As Thieves

Lacuna Coil- Trip The Darkness

We Are The Fallen- I Am Only One

If I'm not mistaken, this should be one of the longest chapters in this story so far. As always I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Reviews are much appreciated, they keep me motivated. Criticism is also accepted but only the constructive kind. Flame me if you want, it will only make me laugh. And finally, please do not steal my story. I work hard on this so I can entertain you. If there is a part from this chapter, or any other, that you would like to use, please consult me first.

~~~~~This time we make it right, Don't need a reason tonight, So sick of waiting for something to change my life~~~~~

I sighed as I continued my search. It was going on two hours now and I had found nothing. I had searched every building in the Uchiha District except the meeting hall and the building that the clan elders had resided in. After I am done with these two I am going back to Lady Tsunade's office, regardless of if I find something or not. If I don't I will just have to get some insight from Itachi on the hidden areas of the compound.

Looking between the two remaining buildings, I decided that I would search the meeting hall last. It seemed highly unlikely that they would leave something so important out in the open. Then again they just might have since this area is pretty much a ghost town that no one wants to enter. Well besides a real ghost anyway and even I am still reluctant to be here. Even though I know what really happened here, this place still gives off an almost tangible aura of sadness, loss, and regret.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I moved forward and passed through the door I had been standing in front of. Looking around I noticed that some areas had been used recently from the lack of dust that coated some of the surfaces. Pinpointing all of the areas that had been left deprived of dust, I began my search. It didn't take long for me to find something on one the podiums in the room. It was some kind of ancient book that had been left open to one of the pages. It was written in one of the older languages that hardly anyone in this time period could read. Good thing I studied under Tsunade, she had practically drilled this language into my head since most of the older known cures are written in this language.

The page that the book was opened to was the page that told about the ceremony that the cult was going to perform. It also had a list of everything that was required. I skipped down to that part of the page and began to search for something that was needed but rare to find. I froze as I stared at the one thing on that page that was the rarest to come across.

I snapped out of my stupor and darted into the meeting hall. I had to find it; they are not allowed to keep it. I frantically searched the meeting hall, only to find nothing at all. I knew that it was here somewhere, but it was in a place that I had no knowledge of. I let out a cry of frustration and then vanished from the room. I had to talk to Itachi immediately. I needed him to tell me all of the hidden places in the Uchiha District.

Sasuke and Kakashi jumped slightly at my sudden appearance. I could tell that they were still not used to seeing me and had I not been in a hurry, I would have been amused by their reactions. I took in every face that was present until my eyes finally landed on Itachi. I quickly made my way over to him, taking in the slightly bemused look in his eyes. He blinked slowly when I stopped in front of him.

I opened my mouth to ask him about the Uchiha District, only to stop when I noticed something had changed in the room. I waved my hand in front of Itachi's face only to receive no reaction from him. I abruptly spun around to look at everyone else in the room. There was no movement from any of them, that is until my eyes met with Sasori's.

"Do you have any idea what just happened?" I asked him.

"I only know of one thing that has the ability to freeze time like this..." He replied, his sentence was left hanging as he stared at something that was outside of my viewing range.

I turned to see just what my brother was staring so intently at. I was baffled to see a man that appeared to be in his middle ages with silver hair and a mustache/beard combo. His beard ended just past his collar bone and covered part of the gold tie he was wearing. The man was dressed in a white suit and from the look on his face he meant business.

"Sakura and Sasori Haruno, I've been meaning to speak with you two for some time now. Unfortunately, I have been quite busy getting everything prepared." The man spoke with a voice of authority.

"Um, if you don't mind my asking, who exactly are you and what do you mean by 'getting things prepared'?" I inquired.

"My apologies. I have been given many names by the mortals in your world, I have over time taken a certain liking to the name Zeus. Although I did quite like the name Odin too. As for your other question, the preparations are what I am here to talk to the two of you about." The man said, his face shifting from thoughtful expression back to a serious one.

I stared at the man with a dumbfounded expression after the bombshell he had just dropped on me. Am I seriously standing in the presence of the King of the Gods? Wait a second, back up; one of the Greek Gods is real! I have to be dreaming. There is no way that this can be happening. I mean I knew that there was someone in charge but I never would have guessed it to be Zeus. I thought he was just a myth created by the Greeks. Does that mean if Zeus is real then the other Greek Gods are real too?

"If you don't mind, could you tell us about these 'preparations'?" Sasori asked, his voice snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I suppose I shall have to tell you the whole story. You see, there are many ways that your lives could have turned out; the Fates do their best to predict what is going to happen. Unfortunately, they are not always correct when it comes to mapping out a person's life.

Sakura, you were not set to die when you did and Sasori, your death was a close toss up but you were supposed to come out of that battle as the victor. It was always meant for your older brother to come across a document that stated your family tree that would have been discovered on one of the upcoming missions he was planning.

Since we miscalculated your death Sasori, we decided to give you the task of finding out about your family. With your death I had the Fates remap out the most likely events that would occur. We had still planned to have Pein come across that document and in fact that mission was supposed to take place a week after you died Sakura.

As you can see we sorely miscalculated once more. Only this time it was far worse than any other time before. Out of all the possibilities that the Fates went over, Sakura being murdered was never a possibility because it was never meant to happen. When it did happen, everything was thrown into complete chaos.

We ended up going over the rules that we had created long ago and realized that there was no rule about fixing any sort of mistakes when it came to a mortal's untimely death. And that very thing is what brings me here now." Sasori and I stared at Zeus as he finished his lengthy story about what was supposed to happen.

After we both processed the information Sasori asked the one thing that was on both of our minds, "In light of this explanation, what is going to happen now?"

"We have been thinking over what can be done to... remedy, our little mishaps with your deaths. It has been decided that once Sakura's heart is retrieved, that you both shall be granted back your lives. This task will not be easy on us since you had turned you body into that of a puppet, Sasori. Since the decision has been made, we have been working on turning your body back to the way it was. As for you Sakura, if it is possible, it would be easier for us if you can ask your teacher Tsunade if it is possible for her to reconnect your heart and mend the wound from it. If she is able to perform the task, then a few of the other Gods and myself will set to the task of reconnecting your souls to your bodies and making you both live again." Zeus explained.

Sasori and I were both shocked at the thought of being given a second chance at life. This was something that people only dreamed of happening to them and here we were being given the chance to achieve what was once only a dream. After my shock wore off I looked at Zeus and smiled. There was no way that I was going to be ungrateful to him after he just told me that I was getting a second chance to live a life that was stolen from me.

"Well then, I suppose that we should go find your heart then shouldn't we?" Sasori said with a faint smile adorning his lips.

"We should and I have an idea as to where it might be." I said, my expression turning serious once more.

"I shall take my leave then and let you two finish your task. I still have a few things to take care of before we can bring you both back to life." Zeus said.

Sasori nodded at Zeus and I waved goodbye to him as he disappeared in a flash of lightning. Once Zeus was gone, time had started again. Sasori and I looked at each other and I gave him a look that said that this would be our little surprise. Well it wouldn't be 'little'; it would be more like a shock of epic proportions for them. I turned back to Itachi so I could ask him what I wanted to before Zeus had shown up.

"Itachi, I need to know all of the hidden areas of the Uchiha District. After everything that I have learned in the past 24 hours, I finally have a lead on how to stop this new cult that has suddenly shown up." I said.

Everyone that could see me turned their full attention to me. It had slipped my mind that I had yet to tell them about this cult. So much had happened that I had forgotten to explain everything that I had found out. Time was of the essence and I knew that this was something that they needed to know about. Before I could explain I was cut off.

"What do you mean by a new cult that has suddenly shown up? And just what have you all learned about them Sakura?" Pein asked the one thing that I assumed was on all of their minds.

I sighed and resigned myself to my fate. I explained everything that I knew about this cult and the ceremony that they were planning to perform on the night of the blood moon. Everyone was alarmed at the fact that the cult was located right here in Konoha and that they were in the Uchiha District no less. After I told them that I had found a way that would stop the ceremony, Kakashi explained everything to Sai, Naruto, and Lady Tsunade since they couldn't see or hear me.

Itachi had proceeded to tell me all of the secret locations in the Uchiha District. After he was done, Sasori and I vanished from the room to search for the one thing that would stop the ceremony. We appeared at the entrance to the compound. Before we could begin, I decided to tell Sasori just what we were looking for, since I had not disclosed that information in my explanation.

"Sasori, before we begin you need to know what we are looking for." I said. I watched him nod for me to continue and I did, "The thing that we are looking for, the thing that will stop this ceremony if we take it, is a human heart. I'm almost positive that it is my heart."

I watched Sasori's face go through a myriad of expressions before he finally settled on a smirk. "Well then, if it is your heart, let's go find it so we can send Pein and Itachi to take it back."

My lips turned up in a smirk as well and I nodded at him in agreement before we both took off into the shadows of the compound.

~~~~~Follow me, follow me, As I trip the darkness, One more time~~~~~

Notes: And so I have finally revealed the location of Sakura's heart. Well sort of anyways. I spent a lot of time pondering over just how I would bring Sasori and Sakura back to life and finally came up with this. As for why I used the Greek Gods, it was just easier for me since I took the Myth And Legend class when I was in high school. I have no idea how many more chapters are going to be in this story since I am just writing it up as it comes to mind. I already know how I want it to end; I am just working on getting it there as I go. And on a final note; Please for the love of all that is good and holy (or unholy, however you would like to put it) someone let me know how I am doing! Do you like this story? Does this story suck? Anything will do! And that concludes my whining for the day. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (If you celebrate it that is)

~This. Is. Not. The. End88~


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Also, I do not own any of the songs I use in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

System Divide- Hollow

Sixx: A.M.- This Is Gonna Hurt

We Are The Fallen- I Am Only One

I am so proud of myself for making it this far. For a while there I didn't think it would happen but here we are. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! This is usually the part where I tell people to please review, but this time I am going to respond to a review since I can't PM them back.

Corrina: I am so happy that you overcame your laziness to review my story. Your review totally made my day. To be honest, the reason why I made them related was because I was curious as to what they might have been like if they were. Then my imagination went into overdrive and this is the result. Lol! As for her death, it is actually what inspired me to write this story. I actually had a dream about someone dying like that right before I started writing this story. I have some of the weirdest dreams and I find that they in turn make very good ideas for stories. And I know what you mean; they totally should have been together! Itachi/Sakura parings are what got me hooked on this site to begin with. Lol! Also, I pride myself on my taste in music. I don't know if you have heard of these songs yet, but the songs Bloodflower and Silent Winter by Draconian are really good and their style is a lot like Tristania. Oh, and the song Scorpion Flower by Moonspell. Sadly that is the only song they have with a female vocalist, but it sounds like something that Lacuna Coil would do. So you should check them out sometime if you don't already know them.

~~~~~Evade the truth that's in front of you, Resist and deny reality~~~~~

Surprisingly, there are not all that many hidden places in the Uchiha District. Sasori and I have been thoroughly checking all of them as we come across them and have only one more place left to check; the meeting hall. This should have been one of the first places that we checked, but to me it just seemed way too easy that it would have been here. I had thought that it would be somewhere that was better guarded, like the secret area in one of the houses. Then again some of the best hiding spots are out in the open and unguarded. So all in all it really could have been anywhere in the compound.

I made my way over to the area that Itachi said lead to an underground meeting room. It was the same room where the Uchiha clan made their plans against Konoha without being detected. Standing over the spot I realized that I had run into a slight problem. I had no idea how to sink through the floor. That was one of the things Sasori and I never went over since we didn't think it would be a problem.

"Um, Sasori, how am I supposed to get down there?" I asked.

"I'll make this easy and save us some time. Just wait there for a moment." He said.

I let out a sigh as I watched Sasori sink into the floor. It only took him about a minute to return. He grabbed my arm and 'teleported' us both into the hidden meeting room. I blinked a few times once we stopped; I still didn't like it when I wasn't the one doing it. I always feel so off balance once we reach our destination. Good thing I hardly ever needed my brother to take me someplace.

Once I had finally regained my senses, I looked around and let out a groan. Itachi didn't tell us that the hidden meeting hall was this big! It also seemed to have slipped his mind that there was more than one room down here. It was like looking at another one of the houses in the Uchiha District. Not to mention that I have no idea what is down the hall, or if there are any corridors. This is going to take a while.

I let out a sigh and began my search. The initial meeting hall itself had nothing in it so it was limited to looking in the rooms down the hallway. Upon entering the first room, I found my brother was already looking around, so I turned and headed into a different room.

The room I was in was creepy. It looked like something out of a really bad nightmare or a horror movie. All around the room were tools for an operation and in the center was an operating table. The operating table had leather straps so the person being operated on would not be able to move, or escape. The thing about it that made it look like it was out of a horror movie was that there was dried blood all over the table. That and it almost seemed like it wasn't there for very long.

I involuntarily shivered as I made my way around the room to search in the cabinets that lined the walls of the room. There was nothing in here. I quickly made my way out of the room. Once I was back in the hallway, I let out a sigh. I was almost certain that it would be in that room. I headed into the next room and paused.

It was an office like room, but that wasn't the reason why I stopped. The reason I stopped was the jar that sat right in the center of the desk. I walked slowly over to the jar and looked at the item that was contained within the jar. A slightly greenish colored liquid filled the jar, and within the liquid, was a heart. And not just any heart, it was a human heart.

I reached one of my hands out towards the jar. It almost felt like it was calling out to me, begging me to touch it even if I couldn't. My hand passed through the jar and into the liquid, even if I couldn't feel it. I despondently watched as my hand moved closer to the heart and then through it.

The second my hand made contact with the heart I froze. Flashes and images of me lying on the operating table while I was being cut into entered my mind. The sounds of my screaming as the wings were inserted into my back, and finally the feeling of my skin being sliced open so that my heart could be removed and placed into a jar. The very same jar that is on this desk.

When the memories finally stopped and I came back to reality, I let out a scream. Sasori was by my side in an instant calling my name and trying to comfort me. I couldn't stop seeing it though, it kept replaying over and over. My screaming was constant and I could stop it no more than I could stop those images.

Sasori's auburn eyes were filled with worry when he closed them. The next thing I knew we were back in the Hokage's office. The sound of my scream filled the room upon our arrival and all eyes were on me, even Naruto, Sai, and Lady Tsunade. Shock, worry, and fear flashed across almost every face in the room. No doubt that they were all wondering what would make someone that is dead scream like this.

"What's wrong with her?" Pein demanded as he quickly made his way over to us.

"I'm not entirely sure. We were both searching the rooms in the secret meeting hall and the next thing I know she is screaming as if someone had just..." Sasori paused as his eyes widened and a look of realization came across his face, "ripped out her heart. That has to be it! She must have found her heart in that room. Pein, Itachi, you both need to go into the hidden meeting room and get her heart back. The last room we were in was an office, but be quick about it. Do not engage in a confrontation, you can make them pay once we have it here since it will stop the ceremony from happening."

Itachi and Pein both nodded and were gone in the next instant. Everyone in the room stood in silence, eyes still locked on my screaming form. Lady Tsunade was the first to snap out of it as she turned her attention to Sasori. Noticing that he could be seen by her, Sasori locked his gaze on hers.

"Lady Hokage, do you think it will be possible for you to reconnect Sakura's heart to her body and close the wound? I know it will mean the world to her if you can do that." Sasori asked, his expression almost pleading her to do it, or at least try to.

"It's the least I could do. If I could bring her back to life I would do it, she is the closest thing I have ever had to a daughter and she didn't deserve to have this happen to her. If I had the chance to go back and stop this I would do it in a heartbeat." She spoke, a look of fierce determination in her eyes.

It was at that moment that my screaming finally came to an end and Sasori turned his attention back to me. I blinked a few times, trying to erase the wretched images from my mind. It was harder to do than I thought it would be. Fear was still coursing through my ethereal form as I looked at my brother.

"Sakura, what happened?" Sasori asked, concern filling his voice.

"I saw it... I saw all of it. How I died. I was still alive when they were cutting me apart. I was still alive when they took my heart out. Everything that they did to me I was still alive for! The thing that killed me was when they took out my heart and that was the last thing that they did!" I shouted.

I was hysterical at this point. It wasn't right; they had no right to do that to me! Just because I caught a glimpse of one of them wandering around in the compound one night. That didn't mean that they had to torture me for it! Even if I had never seen that person would they still have come after me? None of it, none of it was fair at all.

For the first time ever, I truly wanted to take revenge on someone. I wanted them all to feel everything that I did. I wanted to hear them screaming in pain and begging for their lives to end. I knew it wasn't right but I wanted it so bad right now. I guess now I really know how Sasuke felt when he wanted his revenge on Itachi. The only difference is that mine is not some misconception like his was. Mine would truly be justifiable.

Sasuke must have noticed the look of pure vengeance that crossed my face, for at that moment he spoke, "Sakura, I know how you feel, but if there is one thing that I have ever learned from you, it is that revenge will get you nowhere. Let all of us be the ones that bring you justice for your death."

"He's right you know. This is something personal for all of us. I will personally make sure that they all pay dearly for what they did to my little sister." Pein's anger filled voice sounded throughout the room as he and Itachi had just arrived.

Itachi approached Lady Tsunade and placed the jar he was holding upon her desk. Without a word she picked up the jar and exited the room. Sasori and I exchanged a look, both of us knowing what was going to happen as soon as Lady Tsunade returned to the room. We were both going to be alive again by tomorrow.

It was almost time. Soon I would finally be able to hug my brothers; I would be able to feel again. It was only a matter of time now and I could hardly wait.

~~~~~Nothing's gonna keep you down, Even if it's killing you, Because you know the truth~~~~~

Notes: Yes I know this chapter is kind of short, but ending it here makes it easier for me to pick up where this one left off. Other than that I really don't have much to say, so I guess I will leave it at that.

~This. Is. Not. The. End88~


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did it would be way more messed up than it is. Also, I do not own any of the songs that I use in my page breaks. They belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Trust Company- Close Your Eyes (Til It's Over)

Trust Company- Pulling You Down

Before I go through my usual ranting, I just wanted point out that as I watching some of the episodes of Naruto Shippuden with the Akatsuki; I noticed that Kakuzu's mask thing reminds me of the ones that Sub-Zero and Scorpion from Mortal Kombat wear. Yes I know that was random but I felt that I had to throw that out there. So it took me a while longer to write this than usual because I had to do some research. But here it is! And I am so sorry that this chapter is a week late! I have been busy trying to get everything set up for Christmas. After the holidays are over I should be back on schedule though, I promise! For today I am only going to say one thing: Don't steal my story or Pennywise will find you and drag you down into the sewers so you will float like the rest of them! If you don't know who Pennywise is, Google it.

Corrina: You should seriously make an account. I'd love to talk to you more often than every time I update. Lol! Yes your reviews make me all giddy and I feel all fuzzy inside when I read them. That sounded wrong... Disregard that last statement. Dark and dreary? That sounds like me in a nutshell... Lol! And yes, Pein is going to kick some serious ass when I finally get to the battle. Also, there is a reason why I only like the song Scorpion Flower... Lol! I'm the same way when it comes to music. I generally tend to prefer female vocals since I am female and it is easier for me to sing to. And don't worry I will be sure to. I plan on finishing this story because people actually like it. I used to write on a different site but no one ever told me that they liked it so I just never finished them. Now I am here and I like it so much more.

~~~~~And she waits for the light, To lead her tonight~~~~~

It has been about two hours now since Lady Tsunade left to reconnect my heart to my body. During that time I have been wondering to myself why it is that Naruto, Sai, and my teacher can now see me. Not that I mind it or anything, it's just strange. I almost want to go walk around the village to see if anyone else can see me or if it is just them. It is tempting, but I don't have time for that now, Lady Tsunade should be done soon. At least I hope she will be.

"Sakura, what is going to happen to you when the Hokage is finished?" Sai asked with only a hint of his confusion showing in his eyes. He had been quiet this whole time and from his question, I could tell that he had been deep in thought about it.

"Sasori told me that after this I finally get to move on. I will be able to make my way to a new life. But don't worry, you'll see me again. We'll _all_ see each other again one day. I promise." No matter how hard I tried to say it lightheartedly, my words didn't stop the looks of sorrow that passed over the faces of my best friends. I wanted so badly to tell them that I would be alive again in 12 hours or so, but that would ruin the surprise.

At that moment Lady Tsunade re-entered the room. I could tell right away that she noticed the forlorn atmosphere in the room. Not that it was hard to miss. Anyone could have felt it, or even seen it by looking at them. Seriously they made it seem like there was no silver lining and that there never would be one again. It was like their puppy got ran over by a stray tumble weed and died. Okay, I'm just going to stop there.

"Alright, who died?" Lady Tsunade asked and then decided it would be a good idea to correct herself, "Never mind, I retract that inquiry."

"Well everyone, I guess this is goodbye for now. Thank you. All of you. For everything. You may not be able to see us anymore, but just remember that we will always be here to watch over you." I said as a bright light enveloped me and Sasori.

I noticed that the light also changed our clothing from our ninja attire to a white flowing dress for me and a white suit with a cloak over it for Sasori. I smiled peacefully at them all, knowing that this is what it would be like if I really was moving on. I had to admit though; Zeus was good at fooling people. It really did look as though we were moving on to the afterlife as we faded out of the room.

When we arrived at the location of Zeus's choosing, I looked around. There were a few other people there, other Gods I was assuming, and the room was pure white with nothing else in it. Well, nothing else besides our bodies on what appeared to be white alters. All I really wanted to know was who the other Gods were. Can't really blame me for being curious though.

"Sakura and Sasori Haruno, before we begin I would like to introduce you to the other Gods that will be helping me. This is Hera; she is the equivalent to what would be my wife where you come from. Next we have Aphrodite, her department is dealing with all matters of the heart, including making them beat again. And this is Hades, only he can grant the ability for the dead to return to their body." Zeus explained as he pointed at the other three Gods that were present in the room.

I looked at each one of them and took in their appearance. Hera was very beautiful. Her hair was dark, I couldn't tell if it was just really dark brown or if it was black, and it was pinned up in an almost intricate looking bun. Her eyes were a beautiful ocean blue color. I really shouldn't notice something like this, but her white flowing dress really didn't hide the fact that she could give Lady Tsunade a run for her money in the breast size department.

Aphrodite really did live up to her reputation of being one of the most beautiful goddesses; she was second only to Hera in beauty. She had long wavy blonde hair and the most beautiful forest green eyes. Her light pink dress was close to being see through, but it wasn't. She was also adorned in a lot of jewelry. She wore two necklaces, one slightly longer than the other, at least three bracelets on each of her wrists, an anklet on each of her ankles, and a pair of heart earrings made of gold.

Hades was a stark contrast to the rest of the occupants in the room. He was dressed in a black suit with a blood red tie. His hair was black and fell to his shoulders. The one thing about him that really caught my attention though was his eyes. They were as red as the Sharingan but they held a black ring around the outside of his irises. It really made me miss seeing Itachi's Sharingan.

Wait a minute, what the hell am I thinking! This is Itachi that I am talking about! I barely know the man, I should not be thinking about him! The man may be innocent of his crimes and extremely hot... Oh my Gods. I cannot like him! I've barely even had a conversation with him! This is not good. I do not have time for this.

"Hera and I will be working on reattaching your souls to your body. The only problem is that we can only work on one of you at a time. So, which one of you would like to go first?" Zeus asked.

"Sasori can go first. He's been gone much longer than me and after everything he did for me he deserves it." I told Zeus as a smile lit my face, "Besides, I have a favor that I want to ask you once you are done working on my brother. Well that and I want to ask Aphrodite a question too."

Zeus locked his gaze with Hades as they had some sort of silent conversation before Hades walked over to Sasori's body. I watched as my brothers body began to glow. I guess this means that they are already starting. My attention shifted to Zeus as he began to explain the process of what was going to happen to Sasori and I.

"Bringing you both back to life is quite simple really. The only problem is that it is time consuming, but never the less, we have come up with a way to cut this process almost in half. It is true that we can only work on you one at a time, well, to begin with.

Since only Hades has the ability to allow a soul to re-enter their body, he will begin the process. As you can see he has already begun, currently the glow of your body is red. Once it turns gold, your soul will be allowed into your body without passing through it. All you have to do is lay down within your body.

Hades can only allow your soul entrance to your body, not make sure that it stays there. That is where Hera and I come in. We will reconnect your soul and make sure that it cannot get out again. During this time, Hades will begin to work on Sakura's body.

Once Hera and I are finished, Aphrodite will go to work on making your heart beat. During that time Hera and I will reconnect Sakura's soul. Each step will take an hour to complete. When Aphrodite finishes with Sakura, we will send you back to a location of your choosing." Zeus finished.

This is even better than I thought. I already know where I want to show up when we get back. All I have to do is get a little help from Zeus to really make it a surprise. I can't wait! This is going to be so much fun! Not to mention their reactions...

A devious smile appeared on my face at the thought of what was going to happen. Sasori must have been watching me because at that moment he raised an eyebrow as if to ask, 'What are you up to?'

"Nothing at all." I answered his unspoken question, the smile still plastered on my face.

He gave me an 'I don't believe you, but I really don't want to know' look. I shrugged my shoulders and went back to watching Hades work. It really was fascinating to watch the process. He didn't even look like he was really putting much effort into his task. Well I suppose that he really doesn't have to being a God and all.

I almost wonder if there is going to be something different about me when I am alive again. As far as I know, the Gods have never brought someone back to life and if they did, it was way before I was born. I could ask them but then that would take the fun out of finding out for myself. The possibilities are endless now that I think about it.

Coming back to reality, I noticed that the red glow around Sasori's body was beginning to turn gold. I guess that means it is almost time for him to enter his body. I think this is the first time that I have actually seen my brother stick to one emotion for more than a minute. He looked so excited and seeing that made me glad that I had decided to let him go first.

I looked back in the direction of Hades and noticed that the red glow had turned gold. It was time for the next step to begin. Zeus, Hera, and Sasori walked over to Hades so they could get started. Sasori turned to me and smiled, which I returned, before he laid down within his body. His body shifted from glowing gold to glowing green. I didn't know what color his body would be glowing when they finished, but I guess I will find out when they are done since that will be the last of the process that I get to watch before it is my turn.

I guess this is the perfect time for me to ask my questions.

~~~~~Wake up we need you now, Lights out and it pulls you down, And there's only one way out, 'Cause only God can save you now~~~~~

Notes: Slightly boring chapter, but necessary. Anyways, the next chapter will be better I promise. I don't think that there is anything that I need to explain for this chapter, but if something did confuse you, feel free to ask about it.

~This. Is. Not. The. End88~


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: If I were ever to say that I owned Naruto, I would get my ass sued so badly and I don't have the money for that so I guess that must mean that I don't own it. Also I do not own the songs I use for my page breaks, even though I wish I did. They belong solely to the artist that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Lo-Pro- Alive

Evans Blue- In A Red Dress And Alone

I didn't think that I would be able to get this chapter done this week. But I did and here it is. I hope you all enjoy it! Reviews = Love! Flames = Entertainment! Stealing my story will earn you a spot in Hell where Satan will torture you by playing the Barney song I Love You, You Love Me over and over for the rest of eternity.

~~~~~You let them know you're alive, You let them know you've just begun, You're alive~~~~~

This is it and I am so excited! I finally get to carry out my plan! Of course once Sasori heard what it was, he decided to be a killjoy and not join me. He just wants to sit in the shadows and watch. I, on the other hand, am going to shock the hell out of them the simple way.

I watched Sasori retreat into the shadows as I got into position. I turned my attention to Zeus and gave him a nod to let him know that I was ready. Taking that as his queue to leave, he disappeared and time started once more. The conversation recommenced from when we interrupted with the time stop. And then I started my plan by running at my target. I leapt from the ground and latched my arms around the person in front of me.

"Big brother!" I screamed in his ear.

Silence permeated the room until the sound of laughter erupted from a shadowed corner of the room. Once the laughter died down to mere chuckles, Sasori decided to step out of the shadows. I couldn't see any of their faces while I had my own buried in Pein's shoulder. Not to mention that I wasn't planning on letting him go anytime soon.

"Sakura, you can let him go now." Sasori said, his auburn eyes still holding traces of amusement.

"Do I have to?" I whined.

"Yes you do. Then you can hug him properly." He said in a mock scolding tone.

"Fine." I huffed as I unlatched my arms from around my oldest brother and went to stand next to Sasori.

I crossed my arms and pouted childishly. It really was no fair. I mean I just got my life back and here Sasori is telling me to stop clinging to our brother that I never got to meet when I was alive the first time. I suppose I can always cling to him when this whole mess is over.

Lady Tsunade was the first one to snap out of her shock at the sight of us being alive, "Well now, don't you two look nice." She said with a smirk on her face.

I was confused for a second by what she meant. Then I looked down at what I was wearing. Oh hell, did they really have to leave me in this! I knew I should have gone home first, but no. I had to go hug people! Next time I come back from the dead remind me to change my freaking clothes! Damn you Zeus, I hate dresses!

I scowled in displeasure at the dress I was still wearing from when we left to 'move on'. Zeus never mentioned the fact that I was going to be wearing this when I got back and I was too excited about coming back to even notice that I was wearing it. Apparently Tsunade thought it was funny since she began to laugh. Everyone else must have thought so too because they decided to join in on the laugh at my expense. Well, almost everyone. My brothers and Itachi just smirked in amusement.

"I didn't think I was ever going to see you in a dress! Not even on your own wedding day!" Naruto said as he clutched his stomach and laughed harder.

"Shut it Naruto! We both know that no one is ever going to marry me anyways. I'm foul tempered, sarcastic, and mean." I shot back at him.

"Now, now, Sakura. I'm sure there is some poor sap out there that will marry you. I just feel sorry for the one that does." Kakashi said in a teasing manner.

If only you knew Kakashi. Too bad that poor sap that they are talking about is right in this very room. I don't know what Aphrodite was thinking when she thought that him and I would be a good idea. Guess I will just have to wait and see for myself if she was right.

After a couple of minutes they all started to calm down. I decided then that it would be a good idea to greet them all properly. In other words, suffocate them all with hugs. Well everyone except Itachi. I have a better idea for him.

I made my way around to everyone in the room and hugged them all for a couple of minutes each, until the only person left was Itachi, and he didn't look like he wanted me to hug him. Well too damn bad for him, he is getting a hug whether he wants it or not. I opened my mouth to give him the illusion that I was going to say something, which made him let down his guard a little since he no longer assumed I was going to hug him. When I noticed that small change I shut my mouth and then lunged at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him in place with my strength.

"I have a message for you. Your mother wanted me to tell you that she loves you and that she forgives you. They all do and they want you to be happy. Oh, and your mother expects grandchildren. Lots of them. And I just wanted to say thank you. For everything that you have done for me, even though you didn't have to." I said quietly into his ear so that only he could hear me.

On impulse I turned my head slightly and gave Itachi a kiss on the cheek. I let go of him and blushed, knowing that everyone in the room saw it. Itachi's eyes widened almost unnoticeably at my action. I looked away from him, the light blush still on my cheeks, and saw both of my brothers had narrowed their eyes at Itachi. I'd be surprised if I ever get a date again with the way they glare at any guy that I show affection to.

I let out a sigh and shook my head at their actions before I turned to face Lady Tsunade. "There will be more time for this later. We need to figure out a way to irradiate this cult that is living in our own village. I will say though that this should be more of a covert operation. The less people that know about it the better. We have no idea who is part of this cult and we don't want them to know that we are going to take them out. Only people that we know we can trust will be in on this plan. So does anyone have any idea how we are going to do this or who we are going to tell?" I asked.

"What if we tell the other members of the Akatsuki? Pein is the leader and it would make sense that they would follow his command." Sai suggested.

"That would be a wonderful idea, except for the small fact that my brother isn't the real leader. That and not all of the members are as loyal as everyone believes. They all have their own ideals and if forced to pick between my brother and the real Akatsuki leader, they would not pick my brother because his methods are... a little more peaceful." I said.

Pein's ringed eyes widened slightly at my answer. "How did you find that out Sakura? No one knows about that besides the real leader and I."

"Dead people don't sleep and I got bored when Sasori was here for those few days. So I entertained myself by dream surfing everyone's memories. Don't worry, I didn't go through yours or Itachi's. Though I did find out some really interesting stuff from some of the other members. Deidara and Kisame in particular were hiding something that no one knew about. Deidara's secret will bring him to your side in this little war. Kisame's is much like Itachi's and Konan will always be loyal to you. The rest will not. If you can find a way to separate Deidara from his partner and get him to come here we should be fine if we go against them. In the end it will also help us get rid of this organization. I will warn you though, I didn't get to go through all of Madara's memories before he woke up. When we go up against him, it will be a blind fight on our end." I explained.

"Well then, I guess I should start coming up with a list of people in the village that we can trust. Until then no one is to know about anything that has been discussed here. Report back here when I send a messenger to collect you. Team Seven, you all may leave except Sakura." Lady Tsunade instructed.

I waved goodbye to my team and told them that I would find them later. I turned my attention back to Lady Tsunade once the door closed. She had a contemplating look on her face and I could tell that she was already thinking of who she was going to tell. All I know for sure is that she is going to bring Shikamaru in on this since we are going to need more than one strategist for this mission.

"Pein and Sasori, since you were both born here, you can choose whether or not you wish to become ninja for this village. Consider this a sort of second chance for both of you. Despite your missing nin status, Sakura believes in both of you. It is only because of her that I am extending this offer. I will give you both time to think it over. Since your defection was a mission Itachi, you also have the option of being reinstated as a Leaf ninja. Once again it will be your choice and I will give you time to think it over as well. In the mean time, Pein, I would like you to get a hold of Kisame, Deidara, and Konan. Tell them to come here as soon as they can. I will send someone to get you all when I am ready. Until then please wait at Sakura's apartment. You four may leave now." She instructed once more.

The four of us bowed and exited the office. We quickly made our way back to my apartment. Once we arrived, I released the genjutsu that I used to hide my spare key. I unlocked the door and put the key back on top of the door frame. Once the genjutsu was back in place, I followed everyone into my apartment and shut the door.

"Pein, when you contact Deidara he won't listen right away. All you have to do is tell him that you found what he has been looking for and that it is here. He should end up getting rid of Madara as soon as he can so he can make his way here." He nodded and made his way to the couch in the living room to get started. I turned back to Itachi and Sasori, "I don't have anything to eat here since I have been gone for a month, but I do have some tea and I can make some if you would like."

They both nodded, Sasori almost eagerly, and I left the room to make some after telling them to make themselves at home. While the water was boiling I let my thoughts wander to what was soon going to happen. After all it's not every day that I get to fix broken families. And to think, I will get to do it twice this week.

I snapped back to attention when the tea pot let out a screech to signify that the water was ready. I turned off the stove and poured four cups of tea. I put them on a tray, along with some sugar and cream, and made my way into the living room. I placed the tray on the coffee table and took my cup from the tray before I took a seat next to Itachi on the couch. All we could do now was wait for Pein to be done and for Lady Tsunade to send for us.

I finished my tea and set my cup back on the tray. I figured that I would wait for everyone to be done before I took it back into the kitchen. Against my will, my eyes started to close and before I knew it, I was fast asleep. The last thing I could think about before I was too deeply asleep was how comfortable my pillow was.

~~~~~Let's start it over, From the beginning, Let's play for keeps so I know you can never get the best of me~~~~~

Notes: Nothing really important this week. Next time I update will be after Christmas, so for all of you that celebrate it, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas in advance! Until next time!

~This. Is. Not. The. End88~


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: All have to say is: Itachi and Sakura. Seriously Kishimoto! It should have happened! If I had created it it would have! Also I only wish that I owned the songs that I use for my page breaks. Sadly I don't since they belong solely to the artists that created them.

Song credits and suggested songs to listen to:

Red Rider- Lunatic Fringe

Hail The Villain- Take Back The Fear

For those of you who have not quite figured it out yet, I have changed my username! This. Is. Not. The. End88 no longer exists! If you try to look for my previous name, you will not find it. Now that I am done with this rant, onward to the actual semi important stuff!

I am so sorry it took me so long to get this out! I have this bad habit of getting sidetracked. But I finally finished it and here it is! I hope you all enjoy it and remember: Reviews = Love! Flames = Entertainment! Constructive Criticism = Accepted!

~~~~~Lunatic fringe, I know you're out there, You're in hiding~~~~~

I don't think anyone will ever know just how much they miss sleep when they die. Now that I have been granted my life back, all I want to do is catch up on the sleep that I missed when I was dead. Of course Naruto will never understand this, nor do I think he cares with the way that he is pounding on the door. How do I know that it is him? It's simple really; he just so happens to be yelling my name at the same time that he is pounding on the door.

"Will someone please answer the door and make him shut up. I'm trying to sleep here." I groaned tiredly not bothering to open my eyes.

After about a minute the pounding stopped and I could hear a whispered conversation between Naruto and whoever had opened the door. At this point I don't really care who answered, all I want to do is stare at the inside of my eyelids for the next few hours, or years. Hmm, now that I think about it the next few years sounds pretty damn good to me. In fact that sounds even better than sex, not that I would be able to say anything on that subject since I have never had sex. Although Ino always told me that it was the best thing ever. I, on the other hand, have been waiting for the right person to come along. I never was the type to go out and screw random people, not that Ino is either since she has only done it a few times. It makes me wonder though just what it would be like. Better yet I wonder what sex with Ita- never mind. I am just going to stop there.

"Sakura, it is time for us to meet with the Hokage." I heard Pein say to my almost lifeless form.

"Ugh, I don't want to get up. Besides, this pillow is really comfortable. Now that I think about it, I don't remember ever having a pillow this comfortable. I wonder if it's new and I never used it before." I mumbled still half asleep.

"Oh it's new alright." Naruto said through his snickering.

"Huh?" Was my smart response.

I slowly opened my eyes. I blinked a few times to adjust them to the light in the room. The first thing I noticed was that my team was standing there looking at me. Sai and Sasuke were smirking in amusement, Naruto had his eyes shut while one of his hands was over his mouth trying to quite his laughter, and Kakashi's only visible eye was crinkled in a gesture to show that he was smiling underneath his mask.

I blinked once more at the sight and then sat up. I slowly turned my head to my right to see the pillow that I had been laying on. I felt my face begin to radiate heat and realized that Naruto was right; it defiantly was a new pillow. A new pillow that happened to go by the name of Itachi Uchiha. And then it really hit me. I had been sleeping on Itachi's lap! Oh this is so embarrassing! I can almost hear Aphrodite cackling in amusement in the back of my mind.

"I am so sorry Itachi! I didn't mean to fall asleep on you!" I apologized, well more like squeaked out in embarrassment.

I mean seriously! Was that really me? I didn't even know I was capable of producing a sound that high in frequency. I wouldn't be surprised if Kiba's hound familiar Akamaru heard that. It defiantly qualifies as a sound that a dog whistle would make.

Itachi, true to his stoic nature, didn't say anything but I could see it in his eyes that he was amused. Then again so was everyone else in the room. Hell even Sai was trying his hardest not to laugh at me! Some best friend he is! I'm just glad that none of the girls are here. I would never hear the end of it.

I cleared my throat and fixed them all with my best 'I'm annoyed now so shut up or I will punch you all into oblivion' look. The second my team caught sight of that look they all immediately shut up and shivered. They all knew that this look means immense amounts of pain. That and it meant getting a bird's eye view of Konoha as they sailed across it courtesy of the fist express. Needless to say that they have learned to fear this expression. And really it was in their best interest to do so.

"Now, if you are all done, I believe that we have been summoned by Lady Tsunade. So either you all start moving or I will be forced to help you all get there and I don't think you want that." I said as sweetly as I could.

The second the words were out of my mouth Team 7 was out of my house. Subtle threats can get so much done in so little time. I will have to remember to thank Tsunade for teaching me that. Then again blackmail works the same way and I have plenty of that stored away from all the years of being in a team with them.

"Shall we?" I asked while looking at Itachi and my brothers.

They seemed slightly surprised and even a little bit stunned at the power I held over my team. What can I say? Violent females with super strength is a very scary concept. That's not adding the fact that we, as in Tsunade and I, are very conniving as well and punishment, which is a very loose term for torture, is something that we are good at. _Very_ good at might I add.

It took them a minute to finally snap out of their stupor and actually head for the Hokage Tower. After all I am sure that one day they will even get to witness the reason why my team is so afraid of that tone. They just better hope that they are never the ones on the receiving end of that tone. And if they are then they better run. Fast.

The trip to Tsunade's office has been quiet so far. The three of them were deep in thought and I could tell that they had questions that they wanted to ask but I wasn't about to force them to talk. I'm sure they will ask when they are ready. Though I don't know how they will take the answers to their questions.

As if he had read my mind, the most antisocial of the group finally decided to ask me a question.

"Sakura, why is my little brother actually afraid of you when you use that tone?" Itachi asked when his red eyes locked onto my jade ones.

"I'm the student of the fifth Hokage." I told him as if that was the answer to every question he had at the moment to which he returned with a look of 'And?'.

I let out a sigh of annoyance. "Tell me, have you ever had an aerial view of Konoha?"

"I have." He deadpanned

"Let me reiterate that. Have you ever had an aerial view of Konoha after you had been punched by someone with super strength?" I asked as my eyes darkened to emerald while I remembered all the good times I had watching my teammates fly through the air.

Hmm... I seem to have disturbed them a bit. Maybe I should stop smiling like a lunatic. I think now they know what I meant when I said that I was sarcastic, foul tempered, and mean. I didn't think that I had the ability to make S class criminals disturbed. Guess you really do learn something new every day.

After that the trip was silent. Not that I minded, it just gave me more time to plan. Though I really do wish that they would stop shooting me glances out the corner of their eyes. It's not like they did anything to piss me off. Although they are working on it.

Thank the Gods that we are here. Maybe this meeting will finally make them stop looking at me. I mean really I am not that psychotic am I? Then again having Itachi's eyes on me is not all that bad... Damn! There I go again! I wonder if there is a way to kill Gods...

Once again I was pulled from my thoughts and back to reality by the muffled 'Come in!'. I didn't even notice that someone had knocked on the door. I'm a ninja damn it! I really need to pay more attention to my surroundings. Then again I didn't have anything better to do when I was dead so I guess that is how I ended up with this habit. I really need to break it and fast if I am going to be going into battle against some lunatic cult and the Akatsuki.

Upon entering the office, I noticed that not only was my team there, but Shikamaru was there as well. I guess Tsunade needed a little bit of help coming up with a list of people for this covert operation. Then again I don't blame her, I have only thought of three people that should be in on this and one of them is the Nara genius. Wait, I take that back, I just thought of someone else.

"Now that we are all here, I have compiled a list of people for this mission with the help of Shikamaru. Besides everyone in this room I have come up with: Yamato, Kiba, Neji, and of course, Shikamaru. Do you have any objections Sakura?" Tsunade asked as her serious amber eyes landed on me.

"None. However I would like to add a couple of people that list if you don't mind." I spoke.

"I don't mind at all, continue." Tsunade waved her hand at me in a gesture that told me to go on.

"I would like to include Ino, Hinata, and Tenten." I said as a smirk pulled at the corners of my mouth.

"I should hope you have a reasonable explanation as to why you want to add them." The subtle demand in her voice was clear as day to me.

"I want to add Hinata simply because two Byakugan users are better than one, also I have another reason but that one I think is best left for another time," my eyes shifted in Naruto's direction before they slid back to meet Tsunade's once more. Getting the hint, she smirked at my deviousness, "As for Tenten, it should be pretty obvious that she is the best weapons fighter we have in Konoha. Also, her weapon scrolls are both offensive and defensive. They act as a full out attack when they are in use but they also act as a shield to make sure no one gets near her. Ino on the other hand, I will not give you a reason right now but I will say this; she will be essential for this mission."

Tsunade didn't seem too thrilled at the fact that I didn't tell her why I wanted Ino added, "Fine, I will allow them to take part in this, but, you will tell me why you want Ino on this mission. I left her out because she is the biggest gossip queen in the village."

"You will know why in about soon enough." At this Tsunade nodded her head before she turned her gaze on Pein.

"How did everything go with Deidara, Kisame, and Konan?" She inquired.

"It went well; Kisame and Konan should be here by nightfall. Deidara got lucky, Madara must have other things to attend to and got himself 'lost', therefore he should arrive here sometime tomorrow." My brother still had the slight glare on his face from having to say eldest living Uchiha's name. I could tell that he really despised that man.

"Good. Once they all arrive we will hold another meeting. This one will include everyone that will be involved in the mission. Also we will discuss our plan of action, when the plan is set we will put it into motion the following day. When they arrive you will fill them in on what is going on," Lady Tsunade said while pointing at Itachi, my brothers, and I, "Until then you are all dismissed."

I watched as my team all poofed out of the room. My brothers and Itachi completed the same hand signs as my team had before they also disappeared from the room. I, on the other hand, decided that it was too nice out to just use the teleportation jutsu.

As I was shutting the door to Lady Tsunade's office, I noticed that she was looking for something under her desk. I had no doubts about just what she was looking for. After all, it is practically her life's blood. After hearing about an experience my friend from another village had with it, I have been trying to figure out if sake is a curse or a blessing. I guess it can't be all that bad, everything worked out for her in the end.

Here I am again lost in thought. I really need to stop doing this. I mean I made it all the way home without even realizing it until I opened the door! I think I need to go take a nap or something. Maybe in the morning I can find a way to get rid of this habit.

And with that, I said goodnight to my brothers and Itachi. Of course I told them about the two guest rooms that I had in my apartment. Also I told them that they would have to fight over who would sleep on the couch before I entered my room. Depending on the outcome I might just have to share my bed with someone.

Brushing off that last thought, I headed into my bathroom for a nice relaxing shower. After I was done and wearing my night clothes, I pulled back the covers on my bed and crawled into it. Within moments of laying my head on the pillow I was out like a light. The only thing I remembered thinking was that I needed to wash the sheets and dust.

~~~~~Now that I'm back, Painfully clear, I'll be the one to take back the fear~~~~~

Notes: I don't really have anything to say about this chapter. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

~Trust~


End file.
